


Party Girls, Party Problems

by unknown_knowns



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: BDSM, Biting, Blindfolds, Bondage, Bratting, Dominant!Taylor, F/F, Forced Orgasm, Gags, Hickies, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Orgasm Denial, Rape Fantasy, Scratching, Sensory Deprivation, Submissive!Victoria, Vaginal Fingering, Vibrators, balance of porn and relationship stuff, lots of other kinky shit to come, revolving POV, so mix in sex with that and yeah things get complicated, teenagers with shitty relationship and communication skills, that's basically the summary of the fic yw, victoria is the biggest brat looking for her brat-tamer ngl, vortex club!max
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2019-04-14 07:46:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14131443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unknown_knowns/pseuds/unknown_knowns
Summary: Victoria wants Maxine; if only it were enough.Maxine is with her might-as-well-be clone, Rachel; Victoria is with Taylor.But Victoria gets a very kinky idea, one night.An offer Maxine simply cannot refuse.Even if Maxine is too good for Victoria.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It occurs to me I've never written Victoria not kinky as fuck.
> 
> Also, while the kinky shit is definitely going to happen, there will be a balance of sorts. If you've read "Even Worse than It looks" then you have a good idea of what you're in for.
> 
> And as always, I appreciate comments, and will try to read and respond to every one of them. Might take me a while sometimes, but ... trust me, I get around to it. :)

Victoria knew today was Friday night.

She knew it, because she was staring at Maxine and Rachel giggling and dancing together on the dance floor.

This was their routine.

The party girls.

At one of the Vortex Club parties.

Victoria was not a party girl, but she was in their clique.

At least, that’s what she told herself …

She sighed a little and looked down.

There were a lot of ways she expected her life to change after she came to Blackwell here with Maxine, but this … this wasn’t anywhere in the range of outcomes she expected.

Maxine was a long-term friend, and they were very close, almost sisterly.

She used to be a totally different person back in Seattle, but Victoria was able to turn her around and remake her more into her own image.

What she ended up doing, however, is creating a monster she couldn’t control.

Maxine was everything Victoria _could_ have been, were she a better person.

Maxine was confident.

Victoria was not.

Maxine was playful.

Victoria was not.

Maxine had good, strong relationship with her friends.

Victoria didn’t.

Maxine was in control of every social circle Victoria touched.

Victoria was not.

Maxine was beautiful, perfect –

And Victoria just couldn’t touch her.

After Maxine self-actualized into a better person than Victoria, Victoria lost every ounce of control in the relationship.

Maxine could walk all over her, and she knew it.

And she didn’t actually hate that.

Victoria _liked_ being controlled.

Quite a bit too much, in fact.

The problem was how public everything was.

Maxine didn’t just do it in private, she made it clear that Victoria was not the leader, or even someone to take that seriously, in her cliques.

Victoria wanted Maxine, but she wanted her image, too.

And Maxine just shattered it whenever they were too close.

So it kept Victoria from doing the things she most wanted to do – date her.

Her crush was obvious, and Maxine even fed into it, but …

Victoria just couldn’t bring herself to return anything.

She didn’t want to give in wholly to Maxine and have her personality be consumed by her light.

 

And she fucking hated it.

 

Because that just meant Maxine went to others, and soon found kinship with Rachel.

Rachel …

Ugh.

Rachel and Maxine were very similar, almost disgustingly so.

Victoria swore the second Maxine stepped on campus she was already dating Rachel, they were so drawn together.

It wasn’t fair.

Victoria couldn’t possibly compete.

So she didn’t.

She did what she always did, instead.

She put on airs.

She pretended everything was fucking fine, when it sure as fuck wasn’t.

Ugh.

She looked back up and scowled at seeing the two still dancing and giggling.

She needed a fucking drink.

 

Victoria broke away from the main section of the club to where they had some drinks, and a bartender.

Not like, an adult, or something.

Just some kid who knew entirely too much about making drinks.

Victoria uncrossed her arms to slam her hand down on the bar.

“Shot. Vodka. Unflavored. Now.”

That hand tightened to a fist and the freehand came up to her face to rub at it – carefully, anyway, to avoid disrupting her foundation too much.

“Right away, Victoria.”

She smirked just barely as the bartender hurriedly poured the shot.

Even if she wasn’t the _most_ feared, she still had a reputation.

All the more reason her and Maxine couldn’t be a thing.

The bartender gave her the drink and she downed it immediately, slamming the cup down on the bar.

Stupid red solo cup wasn’t as satisfying as a shot glass when it collided with the bar, but it would it fucking do tonight.

She crossed her arms.

“Another.”

The bartender hesitated only for a second or two before giving her yet another shot, and she disposed of it in much the same way.

Sometimes, Victoria worried about her drinking abilities.

Now wasn’t one of those times, however.

“Another.”

Yet more hesitation from the bartender – he knew she’d already had quite enough for the night, but –

“ _Now_.”

He sighed and relented, pouring her yet another shot.

After this one, Victoria exhaled harshly, satisfied, and took a seat at the bar.

She couldn’t fucking help herself but to look back over to the dance floor, though …

 

Some time later – Victoria wasn’t keeping track – Taylor slipped up to the seat next to her.

“Heeeeeey.”

She sounded a little drunk, but that wasn’t unusual.

Victoria was a little drunk too.

She just grunted an acknowledgement, her arms still crossed, while Taylor scoffed and followed Victoria’s eyes to see what she was staring at.

Then, she giggled.

“Maxine again?”

Victoria frowned and looked at her sidelong.

“No. I’m staring at Warren over there trying and failing for the umpteenth time to pick up a girl.”

Taylor blinked.

“You let Warren in? I thought we ---”

Victoria groaned and closed her eyes, looking up to the ceiling.

“--- It was a fucking joke. Yes of fucking _course_ I’m staring at fucking Maxine.”

She looked down with a positively deathly glare.

Taylor sighed and shook her head with her eyes closed, then turned to the bartender to order a drink for herself.

Afterwards,

“ _You’re_ tense tonight. What’s up?”

Victoria just stared at her.

“You know ‘what’s up’ already.”

Taylor took a sip of her drink and hummed thoughtfully, looking more to the cup than Victoria.

“I do, and it’s so stupid. Just ask her out.”

Victoria grunted and shook her head.

“It’s not that easy.”

Taylor looked over.

“Yes. Yes it is. You’re making this way more difficult than it has to be.”

Victoria huffed and looked away, back to the dance floor.

She impatiently tapped her fingers along her arm while she watched.

“She’s with Rachel now. It’s not ---”

Taylor leaned over and gripped at Victoria’s arm, though Victoria shook it off.

“--- c’mon. Don’t give me that. They’re not serious, and they still sleep around.”

Victoria closed her eyes and emitted such a long sigh.

Afterwards, she opened her eyes again.

“I don’t want to sleep around. Like some kind of … _whore_.”

Taylor blinked, then scoffed.

“Then what am I?”

Victoria blinked herself.

Taylor sounded quite offended.

She looked over to her –

“Taylor, I ---”

But Victoria couldn’t.

She hesitated and what her mind wanted to say didn’t come out.

Part of her image was not getting attached.

Victoria Chase didn’t get attached.

People got attached to _her_.

 _She_ was supposed to be the object of desire.

So even if she felt pretty attached to Taylor …

Taylor frowned, then stood up, taking her drink with her.

“ _Thanks_. That feels nice. Enjoy sleeping alone tonight.”

Victoria groaned.

“Taylor …”

Taylor just took another sip of her drink and started walking away.

Fuck.

But part of her image was not caring too much, either …

Fuck.

There were so many people around in her clique and groupies of it, she couldn’t just chase after Taylor like some kind of desperate wimp.

Fuck.

So Victoria said nothing.

She did nothing.

Like usual.

She just got fucking drunk, so she didn’t have to think about this shit.

 

She was getting pretty good at it.

 

Much later, Victoria stumbled into her room, and crashed on her bed, barely bothering to take off her shoes on the way.

Comfy bed.

Victoria closed her eyes, but ---

No.

Not now.

Even if this bed was really, really comfy …

With agony and a groan, she pulled herself up into a seating position and took out her phone.

She stared at Taylor’s contact information.

Victoria could fix this if she was a better friend.

She’d just … pluck the damn words out of her mind and nevermind her fucking image.

But that’s not who she was, and she knew it.

Victoria wasn’t a good girlfriend.

She was just a bitch.

Maxine probably wouldn’t even want her.

Maxine …

Victoria closed her eyes and fantasized a different outcome for tonight.

Without thinking about it, she kind of slumped over onto her side.

And laid down.

 

\---

 

Victoria finished her fucking shot.

“Another.”

The bartender hesitated.

Victoria opened her mouth –

Someone’s arms were suddenly around her –

Hugging at her waist –

She blinked –

She uncrossed her arms to get them off, worming slightly –

The hands just moved up to her wrists, tugged them down to her sides effortlessly, and then nails _dug_ in.

Fuck.

Victoria closed her eyes and tried not to enjoy the sensation.

She could feel someone breathing down her neck.

“W-who the f-fuck ---”

Her voice came out way more uneven than she wanted it to, but –

“--- Heeey …”

Victoria blinked.

Oh.

Then,

Oh, no.

That was Maxine’s voice, and that was her breathing.

She bit at some exposed skin on the back of Victoria’s neck, and Victoria shuddered.

Damn it, no.

There were way too many people around for this.

She wormed around some more and tugged her hands free from Maxine.

Maxine allowed this, since her goal wasn’t to make Victoria feel trapped, anyway.

Victoria opened her eyes and brought her hands up just to keep them away from Maxine’s for now.

The bartender was just staring, clearly interested in where this was going.

Victoria found herself again in the thought of some lecherous dude watching her like this.

“Are you fucking kidding me? I said I wanted that drink like a goddamn minute ago. _Hello_?”

Fuck.

Her voice still came out a little too uneven, but better, at least.

The bartender blinked.

“Uh. R-right, Victoria. Of course.”

He took her cup and started filling it up again.

Victoria grunted and turned around to gently but firmly push Maxine away, who just backed up a few steps with a warm smile.

The two crossed their arms in near unison.

“Maxine …”

Victoria’s voice was different when she talked to Maxine, though.

Less spine-y, and softer.

Still, she frowned, despite Maxine’s smile.

“C’mon, Veebee. You’ve been on the sidelines all night … live a little.”

Victoria looked back to her drink and downed it just as effortlessly as the first.

She then crushed the cup and tossed it away, still frowning.

“I _am_ living. I’m having a great fucking time at this bar.”

Maxine’s expression cracked a little, and she sighed.

She closed the gap between them and placed her hands on Victoria’s crossed arms.

For now, she just looked down at her hands as they gently stroked along her skin.

“You know …”

Her voice dropped way down, to something of a whisper, and she leaned in to Victoria’s ear.

Victoria didn’t refuse any of these affections, though the intimacy had her breathing a bit faster.

Especially since this was Maxine …

And she would probably –

Maxine bit at fucking ear and Victoria’s nails dug into her arms and her eyes tightly closed.

Fuck.

That felt way too good.

She should have _never_ told her about that –

“… this whole, being a bitch thing … doesn’t really suit you.”

Victoria blinked.

“W-what ---”

Maxine brought one of her hands up to Victoria’s face, and with just one finger, peeled her bottom lip down, which for some reason silenced her.

Victoria shuddered as the hand tightened its grip and forced her head to looking at the dance floor.

“Be a good girl for a change and come party with me and Rachel. It’ll be fun. I promise.”

Victoria blinked her eyes open.

She wasn’t –

“Maxine, I --- c’mon, let’s just ---”

Maxine fucking spanked her –

Victoria squeaked and her breathing hitched –

Maxine pulled away, and all at once Victoria was both so cold, and so hot.

Maxine started to walk backwards towards the dance floor and lowered her hands to her sides.

“I’m not going to ask you again, Vee.”

She smirked, tilted her head to the side a bit, made a beckoning motion, then disappeared back into the crowd of the dance floor.

Fucking shit.

Victoria closed her eyes, looked down, and just emitted such a shaky exhale.

Maxine could walk all over her, and she’d barely say anything …

But … there was a line.

It was one thing for Maxine to be flirty and bite her like that –

It was another thing entirely for Victoria to just give in.

Victoria looked up.

But maybe …

This is what she needed.

Someone who didn’t put up with her shit.

Even Taylor got more annoyed than bossy when Victoria was a brat.

Victoria didn’t really want to party with Rachel … and she wasn’t really a party girl.

But maybe she just needed Maxine to roll her eyes and tell her shut up, yes you are.

And the way she smirked like that … fuck.

 

Fuck it.

 

Victoria took another shot, or two, or three, and then went onto the dance floor, since Maxine wanted it.

Victoria didn’t know how much she enjoyed and needed the sensation of Maxine giggling and grinding up against her with the intensity of the music just overwhelming every part of her and –

She lost herself in the moment.

Victoria danced.

 

Much later, Maxine dragged her away from the dance floor.

 

They were outside.

Victoria was barely keeping up and she was breathing so heavily from the exertion –

Maxine suddenly shifted from tugging to shoving –

Victoria was up against a wall –

She raised her hands up –

Maxine took them and pinned them above her head.

Fuck.

Victoria wormed and tried to tug her hands free –

Maxine’s nails dug in, instead, and she pushed herself up against her to cement her in place against the wall.

The two just stared at one another for a second or two, both breathing so heavily with their mouths gaping.

The sensation of her heated skin against the cool air combined with the regular collisions of Maxine’s heated breath was exhilarating.

Not to mention all of the damn pinning and nail action.

Victoria sucked in a heavy breath and looked away,

“Maxine – C’mon – I don’t –“

Maxine grinded herself against Victoria anyway.

“- You do.”

Fuck.

Victoria wished things were slightly different, right now.

She wished Maxine was kinky, so Victoria could better describe her want.

Since Victoria _did_ want Maxine.

This night had been amazing.

She just didn’t know how to express to someone like her that she wanted to fight and resist and eventually be overpowered but in a safer, kind of more consensual way.

Just expressing basic emotions were fucking annoying enough as it was, how would she –

Maxine bit down on Victoria’s neck in the intervening moments and Victoria lost her trail of thought.

 

_Fuck._

 

Maxine pulled the skin up for a hicky and she dug her nails in again and one of her knees went in between Victoria’s legs and –

She closed her eyes and moaned and –

 

\---

 

Victoria woke up with an awful groan.

Fucking …

Why did she have to have rape dreams?

How fucking weird was she –

No.

Victoria shook her head with a sigh and sat up on her bed with some agony.

Phone.

Where the fuck was her phone.

It was on the floor --- why? – whatever.

Victoria got her phone again and stared at it.

4am.

Damn it.

She had drunk so much it wrapped around and ruined her ability to get a full night’s rest …

Whatever, just, whatever.

Victoria smacked her lips and her teeth felt dirty.

She probably didn’t bother to brush her teeth last night.

Victoria sighed and stood up.

She mostly put the dream with Maxine out of her head, for now.

It was just a dumb fantasy.

 

Victoria efficiently showered and brushed her teeth and tidied up her room a little bit since drunk her did dumb things like toss her shoes onto the fucking chair like some kind of idiot –

After all of that, it was entirely too late.

But she still changed into her night gown and got back into bed, this time _under_ the sheets –

She found her phone again.

_i want to do that thing thinking abt maxine_

She didn’t expect a response.

She jus closed her eyes and sighed.

Somehow, though, Taylor responded in only a minute or two.

_thing? masturbate?_

Victoria rolled her eyes.

_what do u think yes bitch_

The thing she fantasized about Maxine was less-than-healthy, but there were other ways to get her desires fulfilled.

_well you’re definitely not touching yourself after that and tonight_

Victoria frowned.

There were other ways, but Taylor wasn’t quite a good fit.

Victoria cared for her, but Taylor was too genuine and serious about the whole thing.

So she sighed, and shook her head slightly.

_sorry miss taytay. can i plz touch myself thinking abt Maxine_

It didn’t feel earned.

It just wasn’t the same as if Maxine forced it out of her with some safety rails.

It just didn’t excite her.

_that’s much better. that wasn’t so hard was it? yes you can but no cumming._

Victoria closed her eyes.

She relived that fantasy while her hand started to rub along her belly and breasts, under her nightgown.

What she wanted is to act out, have Taylor punish her, and then relent.

Instead, whenever she acted out, Taylor got disinterested, or even offended.

But Victoria didn’t _want_ to tell her all of this.

How pathetic was she that she dreamed about being fucking raped?

No.

She knew, by now, this was normal.

Well, in a sense.

Not Normal, but Not Weird, either.

Victoria put her phone on her night stand – where it belonged and closed a hand over her mouth as the other went down even lower.

This was just another one of the many things she just couldn’t express, no matter how hard she tried.

But it was whatever.

She still had her fantasies, and restrictions to not cum, which just made the whole thing even more exciting.

Maxine deserved better than her.

Maybe that’s why it was fitting Victoria could only fantasize about being used by her, and then thrown away afterwards.

Like the pathetic, insecure bitch she was.

 _Fuck_.

The imagined sensations of Maxine’s nails digging into her where they really ought not, her teeth biting a bit too hard, her words a bit too forceful and unforgiving …

Her hand went under her panties and started to touch herself more directly.

The touch was impossibly exciting when she knew the eventual outcome would only be frustration and denial.

A weird thought came, soon afterwards.

Maybe she couldn’t offer herself to Maxine at a party, or something.

Maybe she needed to do something drastic …

Show Maxine just how submissive Victoria was, in some private way.

Holy shit.

Her mind immediately went to tying herself up and letting Maxine do _whatever_ she wanted to her for the night, and she almost felt like she came just from the idea colliding with her.

She slowed down to just tease while mulling it over, and the more she thought about it, the more she liked it.

It was dramatic.

Victoria liked dramatic.

She could send the invite over like text or something –

That was way easier than in person.

She wouldn’t have to like – explain herself, or what she wanted, or anything.

Maxine could just use her.

 _Fuck_.

What if Maxine just decided to edge her all goddamn night long to see the kind of sounds Victoria would make?

And how desperate she’d get?

What’s the worst that could happen?

It was just sex, fuck –

She knew it wasn’t healthy but it was so impossibly compelling.

This _had_ to happen.

It was difficult, but Victoria didn’t allow herself to orgasm while she continued to think about it.

But it quickly became her new favorite fantasy and continue to plague her in her sleep that night.

She fell asleep, frustrated yet excited.

Being denied just meant she would be more fun to Maxine to use, later on.

She’d have some value in offering herself up like this …

Something she literally couldn’t fuck up.

 

The next morning was delayed and slow.

Victoria’s hangovers weren’t acute or piercing, just sort of vaguely annoying.

She cared a bit less, things were whatever.

Everything was just slow.

Normally, she would run in the mornings, but not when she was hung over.

She ran less, these days.

She stayed in her bed for a while, thinking about last night, and her new favorite fantasy.

A knocking at her door interrupted that.

Shit.

She didn’t even have her makeup on or anything …

Maybe she could just pretend to be out.

Fuck it.

“Who the _fuck_ is it?”

She heard a weary sigh from the other end of the door.

“Taylor. I want to talk about last night.”

Victoria blinked.

Oh.

Right.

That probably would be a good idea.

She didn’t want Taylor to really see her without her makeup or whatever, but it was easier to deal with mentally with the distance Victoria had to her.

They were close, but if Taylor rejected her tomorrow, Victoria wouldn’t be too choked up about it.

She didn’t know if she was lying to herself or not, but it was comforting to think about.

She got up with a groan and walked over to the door and opened it.

Taylor smiled for a few seconds, then realizing Victoria wasn’t going to invite her in, quietly walked in to the center of her room.

“You look like shit today.”

Victoria groaned and frowned, closing the door behind her and crossing her arms.

“I _feel_ like shit today.”

Taylor crossed her arms too, but it was a nervous kind of thing when she did it, Victoria knew by now.

She turned around to face her and hesitated.

“Victoria, I …”

There were some words Taylor wanted to say, but couldn’t.

Something Victoria related to all too well.

Victoria sighed and shook her head.

“Can we just … not? Can’t you just come tonight and like, fuck me within an inch of my life?”

Taylor exhaled, amused, and shook her head herself, uncrossing her arms and looking off to one of Victoria’s walls.

“It’s tempting, yeah …”

Taylor didn’t really know what kind of relationship she honestly wanted with Victoria.

This sex-buddies kind of thing was unideal but she didn’t know if she could do something more serious with her.

Maybe Victoria wasn’t the woman of her dreams or the love of her life, but she still cared for her.

Victoria sighed and groaned wearily and suddenly raised a hand to rub at her temples.

Taylor blinked and looked back to her.

“What?”

Victoria fidgeted, then pushed herself off of the door to take a few steps closer to Taylor.

“Actually, tonight, I was thinking of … something else.”

Taylor blinked again.

“Um … what?”

Victoria lowered her hand to cross her arms again, looked away to one of her walls, and hesitated while she tapped on her arms again.

“I think I want to …”

More hesitation.

Taylor blinked.

Did Victoria want a real date for once, instead of just a sex night?

“… what?”

Victoria breathed in harshly and emitted a harsh sigh, looking back to Taylor.

She uncrossed her arms.

“I think I want to tie myself up and let Maxine … raw me.”

Taylor blinked only a million times at the news.

She of course knew Victoria was crushing and that she was Not Normal when it came to sex, but … still.

“Jeez.”

Victoria groaned, and knocked her head back and to the side a bit to look at the ceiling.

“I knooooooooow. It’s not like … good, or whatever, but … fuck it.”

Taylor knew Victoria got self-conscious, sometimes, about her weird ideas on sex.

And they were weird ideas, but they were kind of fun, sometimes.

But Taylor didn’t want Victoria to feel like a freak, so she worked though her shock and walked up in front of Victoria, still smiling.

“Well … that’s not what I was expecting.”

Taylor still wasn’t sure if she was disappointed Victoria didn’t want a date, but maybe that was just her setting herself up to be disappointed,

“But … how about I like help you?”

Victoria blinked and carefully looked back down to Taylor.

“Help me?”

Taylor smiled so warmly, and her warm smile was so cute, and nodded.

“Yeah, like … I can tie you up reeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaal good. And like check up on you every so often in case she’s like a no-show or whatever.”

Victoria blinked and thought about it.

She slowly started to smile, too.

“I think … I’d like that a lot, Tay.”

For a moment, they both shared a quiet smile, and wondered what they meant to each other.

It wasn’t like either of them was just going to say it out loud, though.

That’d be too easy.

 

Taylor left with a quick but affectionate kiss and Victoria felt even more excited.

She wondered what Maxine might do to her, given that green light.

There was a worry Maxine might turn her down or mock her for being so pathetic or weird so as to do this, but Victoria knew Maxine by now.

Maxine wasn’t a total bitch.

She hadn’t really judged Victoria for anything she had shared.

Maybe this was particularly weird, but … fuck it.

Victoria knew she wasn’t going to advance her relationship with Maxine any other way, now.

That’d just be too easy.

She just hoped she wasn’t going to be too drunk tonight for it.

The only thing a party girl loves more than partying on Friday is partying on Saturday.

Victoria wasn’t a party.

But Maxine could make a party in her body, if she wanted to.

Fuck.

Victoria wasn’t going to get anything done all day, at this rate.

She just kept thinking about Maxine and what tonight would hold.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taylor visits Steph.
> 
> Taylor visits Victoria.
> 
> Chloe visits Rachel.
> 
> Maxine visits Victoria.

Taylor hesitated for a few seconds, then knocked on Steph’s door.

She nervously crossed her arms afterwards, breathed in deep, and tried to put on a pretty, albeit fake face.

She mostly succeeded.

The door opened soon enough, and Taylor smiled, while Steph just blinked.

“Steph! So nice to see you again. Gosh, it’s been weeks, I really ---”

Steph had this amused exhale and she crossed her own arms, leaning against her door frame and looking quite unsold on Taylor’s spiel.

“--- what do you want?”

Taylor blinked.

Steph’s voice was so flat but slightly amused.

Usually it was pretty easy to suck up to people, but – Steph was Steph.

Taylor uncrossed her arms just to dramatically put a hand over her heart and tried to look offended.

“Steph! I am … _personally_ offended you would think _I_ would come over here just to demand some kind of favor out of you or something like – how _awful_ of a friend must you think I am ---”

The longer Taylor went on, the more and more Steph’s face became amused, but she clearly wasn’t buying it.

She did let her prattle on for a bit, though, since it was kind of cute how these Vortex Club people put on airs, sometimes.

“--- Taaaaaaaaylor. C’mon.”

Taylor blinked again, then sighed and looked down the hallway to see if anyone was there.

Steph’s eyes followed her automatically.

Nope.

When Taylor looked back, her expression was neutral, maybe even slightly pouty.

Her demeanor changed in an awful hurry.

“I have girl problems.”

And her voice was much more business-like instead of charming.

Steph rolled her eyes and raised a hand up to rub at her own face for a few seconds.

“Course you do.”

She sighed and stood up straight, then beckoned into her room.

“Come in.”

Taylor smiled pleasantly at this and didn’t need to be asked twice.

 

Whence inside, she hummed thoughtfully, and Steph casually closed the door behind her and moved to sit down on her bed.

Taylor moved over to Steph’s computer chair.

“May I?”

Steph shrugged and nodded at the same time.

Taylor just continued her pleasant smile as she sat down on the chair.

Then, she just stared at Steph.

Steph blinked.

“Soooooooo …?”

Taylor blinked.

“Right. Um.”

She looked off to one of Steph’s walls, and it was full of nerd garbage, of course, a bunch of posters and references to things that went right over her head.

… for the most part.

Steph had some music posters up too, and Taylor recognized each of the bands.

She shook her head and looked back to Steph.

“I don’t know what to do about Victoria.”

Steph scoffed and shook her head gently.

“Does anyone?”

Taylor frowned.

Steph just scoffed again, even more amused, and placed her hands on the edge of the bed.

“Relax. It was just a joke.”

Taylor bit her lip.

“Right.”

Steph sighed.

“More seriously though, I don’t know too much what to tell you. There’s a _reason_ I’m not dating any of you party girls, you know.”

Taylor blinked and frowned some more.

“Excuse me?”

Steph brought her hands up in mock surrender, but her face was still playful.

“Hey, hey --- no offense intended. _Some_ of you can be … cute sometimes, too.”

Taylor just blinked and blinked.

Did Steph just flirt with her?

“Well, what do you mean, then?”

Steph sighed and brought her hands down to the bed again so she could lean forward slightly.

“You know I kind-of sort-of dated Rachel for a bit, right?”

Taylor rolled her eyes.

“Duh.”

Steph had her amused exhale and slight head shake.

“Well Ms. Smartypants, do you know why I broke it off?”

Taylor hesitated for a few seconds.

“No?”

Steph nodded.

“Thought so.”

She straightened her posture and looked off to one of her walls.

“So like … Rachel’s real fun, right?”

Taylor nodded.

“Cool girl to hang out with … super cute … but … our expectations were mismatched.”

Taylor blinked.

“Mismatched?”

Steph nodded again.

“Yeah. All she wanted to do is fuck and keep me at arm’s length and like – I’m not complaining that I had sex with the most popular girl in the school somehow but like – I didn’t _just_ want that.”

Taylor hummed thoughtfully.

She could see where Steph was going with this and was somewhat impressed she sussed out what the problem probably was without even being told.

Steph sighed and brought both of her hands into her lap to gently clasp them.

“And it’s not like, _fair_ , on her … for me to want more, and not tell her. It should be clear what we both want out of the relationship, so we know the best way to go forward. And one of us doesn’t get … _feelings_.”

Taylor hummed thoughtfully again.

“So what’d you do, oh wise one?”

Steph exhaled, amused, and slightly shook her head.

“Had a really shitty, difficult conversation, and Rachel didn’t respond well to the idea of a more serious relationship.”

Taylor blinked, then sighed wearily.

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Steph nodded and hesitated.

“I know, sweetie, but … sorry, you’re going to have to tell her what you want. Honestly. There’s no magic tricks here.”

Taylor groaned and crossed her arms tightly, looking up at Steph’s ceiling.

The ‘sweetie’ didn’t even register.

“Ughhhhh. C’mon. I am _not_ going to have a feelings talk with Victoria.”

Steph raised her hands up and shrugged with just a slight smirk.

“I mean. You could not.”

Taylor blinked and looked down at her again.

“Huh?”

Steph smirked a bit wider.

“You couuuuuuuuld … _not_ talk about your feelings, too. And just keep getting quietly more and more and more and more attached.”

Taylor blinked.

“Until finally you are just head-over-heels hopelessly-in-love and she’s … not.”

Taylor blinked again.

Steph smirked reaaaaal wide at this.

“Then you’re _really_ screwed.”

Taylor groaned painfully again and looked back up at Steph’s ceiling, though she closed her eyes.

“ _Steph_.”

Steph just giggled a little.

“Sorry. Couldn’t help it.”

Taylor shook her head a few times and slowly brought her gaze back down.

Steph was … right, of course, but fuck would this conversation suck.

“Okay … okay … maybe you’re right …”

Steph looked behind herself.

“Me? Right? Noooooo, never.”

She was grinning like such an idiot when she looked back at Taylor.

So playful.

She was like the total polar opposite of Victoria.

Taylor just rolled her eyes, but she was smiling slightly too.

The behavior was somewhat endearing.

“… is there anyway to like … make it not suck?”

Steph shrugged.

“Don’t drag it out and get caught endlessly explaining things. Just … tell her, point blank, what you want.”

Taylor blinked.

“Just like … ‘hey, I want some more serious dates’?”

Steph nodded.

Taylor frowned.

“It _can’t_ be that easy.”

Steph shrugged.

“It is --- unless you _make_ it difficult.”

She smirked again.

“Which nicely brings me right back to why I don’t date party girls. Everything is soooo, _soooooo_ difficult. So many games.”

Taylor sighed wearily at this and closed her eyes.

Steph did kind of have a point …

Again.

“Point taken.”

Taylor blinked her eyes open.

“But we’re all not interested in making things difficult, y’know.”

Steph smiled pleasantly.

“I guess not, if you’re in here asking for advice on moving past that bullshit.”

Taylor smiled pleasantly, too.

Steph looked to her door and back again.

“And, besides, if Vic bites your head off for asking … you can come cry on my bed. Or my lap. One of the two, y'know.”

Taylor blinked.

What did Steph just say?

Just tell her, point blank?

“Are you hitting on me?”

Steph shrugged, but still smiled.

“Sure, why not.”

Taylor blinked again and looked off to one of Steph’s walls.

At least Steph was so chill about everything there wasn’t any confusing ambiguity about interactions with her …

It was refreshing, in a way.

“Alright. But only if you put on some Metric. I love them.”

Like Taylor was going to miss that poster.

She looked back to Steph, who for once was the one blinking, but she then smiled wider.

“It’s a date. Crying in my lap while _Empty_ plays.”

Taylor hesitated, then smiled even wider.

“Oh my god, you know their old stuff too!”

Steph laughed at this and placed her hands back on the edge of the bed.

“You can’t date either Rachel _or_ Chloe without knowing your music.”

Steph scoffed and looked down to the floor, and her voice came out all wistful.

“I can’t believe Rachel almost talked me into buying a vinyl player …”

Taylor exhaled, amused, and gently shook her head.

“Victoria almost talked me into some piercings.”

Steph blinked, then slowly looked up.

“Y’know now that you’ve said that I’m totally picturing you with some snake bites.”

Taylor rolled her eyes, but she gently laughed and shook her head.

“No, no … nothing like that.”

She cleared her throat and looked away with a slight blush.

“It was, um, somewhere else.”

Steph made quite an inquisitive hum.

“Oooooooh, really … like … nipple bars?”

Taylor just blushed some more and bit her lip.

Steph grinned.

“Or maybe … a nice little thing …”

Steph inched closer without Taylor realizing it since she was looking away in her shame – so when one of Steph’s hands gently grasped one of her own she damn near jumped out of her skin.

She didn’t, though her breathing was suddenly much more intense, and she looked right at Steph, who was right _there_ , still grinning, though her voice dropped down and became more of a whisper.

“… some place, only your girlfriend would ever see, mmm? Somewhere … _lower_?”

Steph just gently stroked her hand along Taylor’s, and Taylor honestly didn’t know how to deal with such direct, shameless, yet somehow casual flirting.

So it took her a few seconds of just gaping her mouth like an idiot before she cleared her throat.

“Yeah …”

Her voice came out way too breathless for this, like – what ---

Steph exhaled, amused, and looked down, again.

“Y’know, now that you’ve said that …”

Steph’s voice just sort of trailed off at this, into a breathless sort of curious sound.

Taylor suddenly stood up.

She couldn’t help her blush _at all_ anymore.

She just hid her shame with her hands.

“Okay. Um. _Wow_. I …”

She crossed her arms, and knew Steph was just grinning proudly on the bed.

“… I should go.”

It wasn’t that it was unpleasant, just … totally unexpected.

And the transition was so effortless on Steph’s behalf …

Is that what it took to date someone like Rachel?

Victoria was _so_ fucked if she wanted to date Maxine and needed to act like this, because like … Jesus.

Steph just shrugged.

“Sorry. Did I make you uncomfortable?”

Taylor blinked and realized her reaction probably read as disinterested.

She took in a harsh breath and looked down at Steph and smiled gently.

“No, no … just … it’s very sudden … and … I need to talk with Victoria, still, and …”

Steph just nodded and returned her smile.

Her hands were back on the bed.

“Sure. Hope Icky Vicky doesn’t cast a hex on you or something. That’d be a real shame.”

Taylor just laughed.

Steph was so casual … right after flirting like that she just cracks a joke.

It was a nice change from Victoria.

Refreshing.

She didn’t know how this would work in a relationship kind of thing, and if it would tire after a while, but … it gave her something to think about, at least.

“I think you’ll find the reports of her witchcraft are greatly exaggerated.”

Steph just giggled again.

Taylor smiled wider.

 

Much later in the day, Taylor knocked gently on Victoria’s door.

“It’s open.”

Of course it was.

With a small sigh, Taylor opened the door to Victoria’s room to see her fastidiously fussing with her face and the makeup thereon.

That wasn’t really a surprise, though somewhat pointless.

She closed the door behind her and crossed her arms.

“There’s zero chance Maxine hasn’t seen you without your makeup before, y’know.”

Victoria huffed but didn’t even look back or greet Taylor in any appreciable manner, just focusing on her art.

“That’s no excuse for looking like some kind of prize hog.”

Taylor took a few steps closer to Victoria and did smile just barely at her attitude.

It was familiar and comforting, in a way.

“If you get all sweaty it’s just going to wear off …”

Slightly flirty.

Victoria had her amused exhale and finally looked back to Taylor and she too was smiling slightly.

“Please. As though I haven’t thought of that.”

She turned back to her desk and picked up a bottle, holding it up over her shoulder,

“The finest of liquid foundations. This isn’t coming off for nothing.”

Taylor hummed thoughtfully and walked up behind Victoria to take and examine the bottle.

Just this singular bottle was probably more expensive than most of Taylor’s entire makeup collection …

She smiled a bit wider.

She put the bottle back on Victoria’s desk and sat down on her bed to look plainly at her while Victoria continued to work on her eyes.

She was putting it on like she was going to a nightclub – her eyeliners were thick, and her shadow was obvious and non-natural tones.

It worked well with her eyes, and Taylor was staring, obviously.

Victoria noticed.

“If you take a picture it’ll last longer, bitch.”

Taylor giggled gently and crossed her legs.

“Who says I’m not taking any pictures of you tonight, mmm?”

Taylor was pretty sure that earned a blush out of Victoria, even if slight and diminished by her makeup.

“… what’ll you do with them?”

Victoria got a bit quieter and more thoughtful sounding, pausing in her makeup work.

Taylor got up from her bed and leaned down over Victoria’s chair to place her hands on Victoria’s shoulders.

Victoria wormed them off, but after Taylor made an annoyed sound and placed them back on Victoria allowed the touch.

She leaned down to speak more directly at one of her ears and rubbed at her shoulders.

“Mmmm … just keep them around. Make sure you remember who is in control, here.”

Victoria closed her eyes and breathed a bit more quickly.

“You wouldn’t …”

Taylor shrugged.

“Who knows. You’ve been _such_ a bad girl, lately.”

Victoria kept breathing more rapidly, and her voice got even more gentle.

“Maybe you should do something about that …”

What Taylor couldn’t quite figure out is what triggered Victoria getting more and more passive and submissive, like this.

It seemed completely random on whether or not Victoria would annoyingly resist her and Taylor would just have to ignore it or she would give in – or even give Taylor ideas of what to do.

It made Taylor think she didn’t really understand Victoria, but maybe no one did.

Victoria certainly wasn’t explaining herself.

And Taylor did enjoy it when Victoria was more tender and submissive.

It felt like she was being genuine.

She just wished she knew how to draw it out on-demand, instead of it being a mercurial kind of thing.

Taylor patted at Victoria’s shoulders and stood up.

“Don’t worry about that. You’re going to be tied up _all_ night.”

Somehow, this was the wrong thing to say, and Victoria huffed and crossed her arms.

“Like you even know how to tie a basic knot.”

Taylor frowned.

Victoria’s voice was back to its bitchy self, despite some of the breathlessness of her voice.

Taylor just sighed harshly and walked back to the bed.

“I do _too_.”

The Victoria she liked was gone so quickly, so easily.

Victoria just scoffed and went back to her makeup, calming herself down.

 

Is this what Victoria would be like in dates?

In a more serious relationship?

Did she even need to have that kind-of-sucky-probably-ending-poorly conversation with Victoria about what she wanted?

Did she even want a more serious relationship with Victoria?

The quiet, submissive Victoria was the girl Taylor wanted.

The bitchy image-obsessed queen wasn’t.

But there wasn’t any way to have one with the other, unfortunately.

Maybe it was pointless to even think about.

Victoria clearly wanted Maxine.

And Steph …

Taylor still didn’t know what to do about Steph.

She sort of got lost thinking about her, and how easily she got to her, while staring at Victoria’s too-pretty eyes and bitchy face.

 

After Victoria finished with her makeup, she stood up, pushed her computer chair into her desk, crossed her arms, and started to pace around her room.

In a very short while, she’d send the text to Maxine, and Taylor would help tie her.

This was going to happen.

This was really going to happen.

Maxine was about to know just how submissive and kinky Victoria was.

Would she judge her for it?

Would she laugh at her?

Would she even come, or see it beneath her somehow …?

No …

Victoria wasn’t sure about a lot of things in her life, but she was _sure_ Maxine cared for her.

On a deep level.

Maybe – probably – she’d think this weird, but she’d try to understand, for Victoria.

Victoria sighed and closed her eyes.

Hopefully, anyway.

“You’re pacing.”

Victoria scoffed and opened her eyes to look plainly at Taylor.

“Thanks for the status update, captain obvious.”

Taylor rolled her eyes.

“Are you worried this will go poorly?”

Victoria bit her lip and frowned somewhat.

“Not as much as you might think I would be.”

Taylor blinked.

“Well, that’s not saying too much.”

Victoria scoffed, amused, and shook her head barely.

She closed her eyes.

“ _Bitch_. But.”

She opened her eyes.

“I know Maxine. I trust her with my life. I know she won’t … _ugh_. She’ll treat me right.”

Something Taylor always noticed, but never knew quite how to process, was how Victoria’s voice changed when the subject was Maxine.

It got softer, gentler, more like the submissive girl Taylor enjoyed so much.

Did Maxine just inspire it out of her naturally?

Is that what it meant to be a natural dominant in this whole weird sex thing?

Maybe Maxine would have better luck figuring out how the hell to make Victoria behave.

She’d certainly known her for longer.

They were inseparable for a while.

Until Maxine started dating Rachel, anyway …

“Oh.”

She didn’t really know what to say, so she looked off to one of Victoria’s walls.

“Do you want me to go over like, safe words, with her, or ---”

“--- **no**.”

Taylor blinked at the forcefulness of this.

She looked over to Victoria.

“Huh?”

Victoria hesitated, then shook her head.

“This is … different. I just want her to … use me.”

Taylor blinked a couple dozen times.

“That sounds dangerous.”

Victoria frowned.

“If Maxine was some stranger, sure. She would never seriously hurt me, though.”

Taylor sighed wearily and looked to Victoria’s floor.

“Victoria …”

Victoria frowned.

Taylor cared _too_ much, sometimes.

This was her body.

For now, anyway.

“You said you were going to _help_ me, not be _difficult_ about this.”

Taylor nodded gently and looked back up.

“I just – what did you say before? ‘Safe and consensual’?”

Victoria hesitated, and nodded, and looked off to one of her walls.

Were she a better person, perhaps she could explain her rape fantasies to Taylor.

But she wasn’t, so she couldn’t.

She looked back to Taylor.

“And it will be. I promise.”

The entire setup was to make this as close to nonconsensual and unsafe as possible but – still.

Taylor bit her lip and hesitated herself.

Victoria said it with such certainty she wanted to believe her.

But Victoria was right, probably, about Maxine.

Even if Victoria had weird ideas on sex, Maxine wouldn’t just go 0-100.

If she was even one iota like Taylor, she’d have to be talked through a lot of this shit.

That probably meant tonight would go well, no matter how helpless Victoria was, since Maxine would just refuse to out-right rape her or something without talking to her.

So that put Taylor’s mind at ease that Victoria wouldn’t come out of this somehow hurt, either physically or emotionally.

There was a _strong_ worry that Maxine would just laugh at Victoria, but … Victoria seemed certain she wouldn’t.

So Taylor hoped she was right.

“Okay. You want to write the text, or me?”

Victoria hesitated again.

“Get me in the mood, first. Then I’ll … write it.”

Taylor blinked, but then smirked and stood up, and walked over to Victoria.

 

\---

 

Not too far away, in Maxine’s room, Maxine sat on her couch while Rachel laid down on it, her head in Maxine’s lap and looking up to her.

Or she would, were she not staring at her phone.

Rachel looked up from her phone to look at Maxine for a second or two, who was just cutely staring at her own phone, just to the right of Rachel’s head.

“Do you want to go out tonight?”

Maxine rolled her eyes.

“Not in a million years.”

Her sarcasm was so thick and endearing, though.

Rachel giggled and excitedly put her phone down to scoot up and straddle Maxine.

This wasn’t really enough to divert her attention from her phone though, sort of obnoxiously.

Rachel huffed and leaned down to kiss at Maxine’s neck, obnoxiously rubbing at her shoulders to get some attention.

Finally, Maxine sighed and put her phone down.

She placed her hands on either side of Rachel’s body and rubbed suggestively.

“Vortex Parties suck on Saturdays … and we used all of our molly yesterday, anyway.”

Rachel huffed and bit a bit too forcefully at Maxine’s neck, which just caused her hands to as-harshly grip Rachel’s sides,

“ _You_ used all of our molly yesterday.”

Maxine shrugged and grinned.

“Details, details …”

Rachel huffed again, but Maxine smiled and brought one of her hands up from Rachel’s sides to guide her chin into looking at her.

“Are you complaining that you had a girlfriend on molly _all night long_ …?”

Rachel just smiled, smiled, smiled.

“Not in a million years …”

The two giggled and leaned forward to kiss.

It was short, but passionate.

Rachel leaned down again for yet another kiss, and to start making out, but –

Maxine’s phone vibrated and played a particular ring tone –

That was Victoria –

She blinked and groaned and ducked to the side to avoid Rachel continuing to make out with her.

Rachel huffed, but she heard the phone too, and just sort of pouted over Maxine.

“Whossit?”

Maxine looked down to her phone, picked up, and hummed thoughtfully.

“Victoria.”

Rachel rolled her eyes.

“Who cares about her?”

Maxine sighed and shook her head gently.

“I do. You know that.”

Rachel continued to pout.

“She’s just a bitch.”

Maxine sighed more forcefully, and gently pushed Rachel off of her, to the side.

Rachel groaned but took the hint well enough and moved off to sit down next to her, looking at her own phone for any messages she’d since missed.

“She isn’t. She can be … so sweet, and caring, when she wants to be.”

Rachel scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“You keep saying that. I’ve never seen her be anything but a stone-cold bitch even to her _girlfriend_.”

Maxine just sighed.

“She didn’t used to be that way …”

Maxine remembered meeting Victoria all-too well.

How thoughtful, if careful, she was in helping Maxine learn things.

“Whatever. What does she want, anyway?”

Maxine hesitated.

“It’s … a booty-call. A very … Victoria, booty-call.”

Rachel blinked at the odd way this was phrased and the haltingness.

She looked to the side to Maxine to see her just staring at her phone, blinking uselessly.

“What, did she send you a photo of her pussy or something?”

Maxine just laughed quietly and shook her head.

“No, just … it’s um, very interestingly-phrased.”

Rachel blinked.

“Lemme see!”

Maxine frowned and raised her phone up and out of Rachel’s reach as she obnoxiously leaned over to steal Maxine’s phone.

“Hey! I don’t demand to see the awful sexts you sent to whatserface.”

Rachel hesitated, then sighed wearily and sat upright again, pouting once more.

Steph was … she was cute, and dorky in an endearing sort of way, and just so casual and no-nonsense.

But they didn’t really work out.

“Do you have to keep bringing her up …?”

Maxine sighed and just stood up.

“What are friends for. Now … I’m going.”

Rachel blinked.

“You’re not seriously going to go fuck Victoria?”

Maxine nodded.

“I am.”

She crossed her arms and looked plainly down at Rachel.

“Is that a problem?”

Yes.

“No.”

Damn it.

Maxine smiled, and leaned over, and placed a warm kiss on Rachel’s forehead.

Rachel was happy to receive the affection, but it was hard to understand what exactly Maxine was, to her, and vice versa.

The thing with Steph was like a one time deal since she was such a sweet girl, but –

Maxine took their relationship and assumed it meant it was totally wide open because of it.

And Rachel didn’t feel like she could either describe how this wasn’t an open relationship and Steph was just --- Steph --- or how she wanted something a bit more serious with Maxine.

A bit more dedicated.

It wasn’t like she could just insist on it, though, with her past.

It’d make her into such a massive hypocrite, even if the circumstances were different.

It was so confusing.

Still.

This made Maxine happy, and Rachel wanted her to be happy, so … whatever.

She tried to pretend everything was fine and returned the kiss more lovingly than received.

Maxine just smiled.

“I knew you’d be chill with it. You’re so understanding.”

Fucking … fuck.

Rachel tried to put on a brave face and smile as earnestly in return and she mostly succeeded.

Just another mask to wear.

After they said their goodbyes and Maxine left, though, Rachel sighed wearily and flopped down onto the couch.

She already missed Maxine’s fingers running through her hair.

Fuck.

She was so screwed.

Her phone suddenly vibrated and she blinked and brought it up.

_hey where you two going out to tonight_

Chloe.

Rachel smiled, a little.

Chloe was cute.

Other things, too, surely, but … cute.

_maxine wants to stay in_

Not the whole truth, but …

_rip. do you?_

Rachel blinked.

The fact that her relationship with Maxine was openly open meant a lot of unusual things, like how people felt comfortable just asking her out.

She didn’t … _hate it_ , either.

It was freeing, in a way.

But confusing, just like everything else.

Especially since Chloe knew Maxine – they went way back, apparently – and that meant Chloe was around a decent amount.

If Maxine trusted her, so did Rachel.

_let’s take ur truck out of town and have some fun_

Rachel sighed and hid her face with her arm.

It felt self-destructive to encourage something with someone else – particularly with someone knowingly crushing on her -- when she wanted something more out of Maxine, but … what could she do.

Girl has her needs.

She might as well make the most out of the fact the relationship was ‘open’ until they got bored of it.

She had the vague feeling she was lying to herself, but she liked the comforting hope that came from it.

 

\---

 

Outside her room, but just shy of Victoria’s, Maxine hesitated at the door.

She stared at her phone.

_i need u_

_im going to be in my bed totally helpless and my door will be unlocked_

_use me_

_fuck_

Victoria’s crush on Maxine was mutually acknowledged and knowing, but for the most part, Victoria seemed disinterested in taking things to any next level.

She was just a really good and close friend.

Almost sisterly.

Anytime in the past, jeez, four or so years, she could have asked for this, and they both knew Victoria would have gotten it.

Maxine didn’t know what had gotten into her, suddenly.

She was kind of excited to find out what it might be.

Though, the actual words of the text were somewhat worrying.

Helpless?

Was she passed-out or something?

Victoria didn’t expect Maxine to take advantage of her, did she?

The fuck else could ‘use me’ mean?

Maxine knew Victoria liked things rough – biting, scratching, whatever – but.

This was something else.

Would it hurt Victoria if Maxine refused …?

Probably …

Fuck.

 

Maxine put her phone away, rubbed at her temples with a hand, breathed in deep, and tried to clear her mind.

No point in overthinking this.

This was just sex.

What could go wrong?

Victoria sounded thirsty as fuck, so she’d probably be at least an entertaining lay.

Yeah.

Maxine smirked.

 

Maxine gasped when she opened Victoria’s door and saw what was inside.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maxine fucks Victoria.
> 
> Chloe takes Rachel out.

“You know … I’ve had a lot of girls hit on me, in some pretty creative ways, Vicky, and … this is a new one, I’ll admit.”

 

Victoria’s heart skipped a beat at hearing Maxine’s voice, and it wasn’t quite what she was expecting or hoping for.

Kind of playful?

Not like Victoria could express her surprise though, being gagged and all.

All she did instead is sort of writhe uselessly on the bed in some sort of acknowledgement she heard Maxine’s words and was present still.

Maxine sighed a bit, and Victoria could hear the door closing behind her.

She gently walked into the room and Victoria could feel as the bed groaned slightly and some weight was added to it.

Victoria’s heart started beating faster and faster as Maxine got closer.

This was really happening.

Maxine wasn’t rejecting her.

Fuck.

The first touch surprised Victoria – it was to her cheek, gentle and affectionate.

That’s not what she wanted.

She groaned, though it was muted behind the gag, and sort of gyrated her groin towards where she imagined Maxine to be, though her movement was rather restricted with the tightness of her bonds.

Taylor had left no stone unturned in binding her to the bed efficiently and practically; Victoria’s body was spread in an ‘x’ fashion on the bed, each extremity tied to a bedpost. The most freedom she had was around her belly, but even that was more token than serious.

Combined with the gag and blindfold, Victoria was effectively helpless, and left only to imagine what Maxine might do to her for several minutes now, which in top of Taylor’s teasing from earlier … the last thing Maxine needed to do right now was any foreplay.

She just needed to fuck her, damn it.

Use her.

Abuse her.

“Now … c’mon, let’s get this ---”

Victoria blinked though it was pointless as Maxine reached her hand back further, feeling around the gag until she found where it was secured on the back of her head and undoing it.

No no no.

Victoria groaned as her mouth became free, though it did feel kind of nice to not have her jaw stretched out –

“--- put it back in, put it back in!”

She uselessly squirmed around on the bed some more, whining uselessly at the idea of Maxine just undoing everything and fucking her more ‘traditionally’.

Maxine hesitated.

Her hand had been tugging the gag off, but for now, with Victoria’s request, she just lowered it down to her neck instead, and moved the hand back up to stroke at her cheek.

“You … _want_ this?”

Maxine sounded so confused, which wasn’t exactly a good sign.

Maybe Victoria shouldn’t have expected this all to be so easy …

She sighed a little and turned her face to look at the source of Maxine’s voice.

“I do … I want to be gagged … and … tied up … and … whatever else.”

There was a more elaborate explanation on the tip of her tongue, but between her arousal and her inability to communicate there was no chance it’d come out.

She could feel Maxine hesitating again, but thankfully seemed to be slowly accepting the idea, as Victoria felt one of her glorious hands start to gently stroke along her inner thighs – again, the teasing was pointless at this stage, but it still meant a progression of the scene and more acceptance of Victoria’s Not Normal ideas on sex.

“Are you … _sure_? What if ---”

Victoria groaned again.

“--- fucking gag me and … _fuck_ me already. Or _can’t_ you ---”

Maxine’s mouth moved to Victoria’s ear and the both of them knew what was coming next.

She bit down harshly on Victoria’s ear and Victoria just sort of lost her trail of thought, groaning quietly again and squirming around on the bed.

Maxine didn’t let it go for a few seconds, and when she did, she exhaled harshly against the freshly-bitten skin.

“--- _attitude_. I asked you a question. _Answer_ it.”

Victoria shuddered.

This was _much_ closer to what she wanted and she was thankful her reading of Maxine’s character wasn’t so off-base.

She wasn’t totally vanilla here, she just cared for Victoria and wanted to make _sure_ things were on the up-and-up.

Which was … honestly a pretty good idea.

Maxine kissed at the bite mark afterwards, and Victoria sighed contently.

“Yes. I’m sure. I’ve … never been so sure of anything … in my life.”

Maxine sighed a bit herself and worked her mouth lower to kiss and nibble along the skin there and Victoria produced the gentle little sounds of excitement from every bite and shuddered gently at every warm breath cascading down wards.

“Alright. But no gag this first time … just in case.”

Victoria sighed more wearily and sort of rolled her eyes, but again, she kind of knew Maxine was right to do this, just her stupid fetish was overwhelming her.

They really ought to _communicate_ somehow, but the simple idea of communicating all of what Victoria wanted was both off-putting and somewhat scary.

Maxine would be horrified if she knew the full extent of Victoria’s weirdness.

If she fantasized about being a maid in chastity gear, waking up every morning to serve her …

No.

That was never going to come out.

But … maybe some more normal things could.

“A-alright. If you say ---”

Maxine silenced Victoria with a harsh bite to her neck and that lower hand suddenly coming into immediate and righteous contact.

Victoria couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed from the combined attack, though as quickly as it started it ended, and Maxine’s lower hand went back to teasing, and her mouth back to slow and warm exhales along tingly wet bite marks.

“--- I do. We can keep the _idea_ of you being gagged … by you just being quiet for once. Instead of you just running your damn mouth …”

Maxine slapped at some part of Victoria’s thighs and she shuddered.

Maxine was getting closer and closer to what Victoria wanted.

The thought was impossibly compelling.

Victoria’s urge was to push back even more, even though she was basically helpless to Maxine’s touch, but some part of her told her enough was enough, for now.

She could draw out more parts of Maxine she wanted the more comfortable they got with each other’s bodies.

And for being totally new to everything, Maxine was surprisingly quick on the uptake of what Victoria wanted – or maybe this was just carry over from the way she could walk all over her in non-sexual scenarios.

Still, Victoria nodded gently.

“I’ll … be quiet … or loud … whatever you want.”

Maxine sighed wearily, and for some reason, this phrasing gave her the most pause of the night.

She leaned back up to Victoria’s ear and gave it another little bite.

“I just want you to be you.”

If only it were that easy.

Nothing about Victoria’s true self could be shared, nothing could be –

Maxine’s mouth went back down, and her lower hand went back up.

While in theory, Maxine’s fingers should feel basically the same as her own … they just didn’t.

Especially when Victoria couldn’t really object.

Especially when every inch of her body was completely exposed and available to be touched, groped, slapped, bitten, whatever.

Even if Victoria told her no, it would be pointless if Maxine didn’t respect it.

Being helpless added a whole different, much more exciting edge to it.

Not to mention how long Victoria had now been abstaining from orgasm.

That all wasn’t entirely intentional to this specific night – she’d only gotten the idea yesterday, after all, but had spent more than a week without.

It all just combined in just the right ways so that Maxine’s touch really couldn’t go wrong.

She was practiced, and she knew some of what Victoria liked.

Nothing too particular, but she knew Victoria enjoyed being slapped, and bitten, and handled roughly, and everything that went with it.

After some while further of riling her up, and with Victoria’s body now sporting several new slap marks and bite marks – scattered along thighs, belly, and breasts seemingly at random –

Maxine pulled back up to her ear and the lower hand resumed its teasing.

Her other hand stroked affectionately at Victoria’s cheek while Victoria simply whined out of frustration.

There was no way Maxine knew she wanted to be denied too, did she?

Fuck, if she picked up on that this night was going to be _long_ …

Maxine’s voice collided so softly with Victoria’s ear, and her stroking was so warm and thoughtful.

“Tell me what excites you about this … I want to know.”

Victoria blinked and hesitated.

How could she possibly put it into words?

She was breathing quite heavily by now because – seriously –

She breathed in deep and tried to steady herself, somewhat.

Feeling her excitement slowly slip away didn’t even annoy her – it was exciting, really.

It just meant the next time Maxine touched her, she’d be even more needy, even more pathetic, even more desperate for that touch.

“Iuhhnn … I don’t …”

Maxine’s lower hand moved up a bit higher and very carefully stroked at a spot intending to overwhelm Victoria with a sudden influx of stimulation, which it did quite effectively.

She shuddered and her body twisted about uselessly in the restraints, though it could only move so much now that Maxine was in her side like this.

“ _Bullshit_. You do … and you’ve been hiding it from me.”

Fuck.

Maxine really could just walk all over her …

Victoria thought about it for a few more seconds as Maxine’s hand lowered back to affectionately touch her thighs instead.

Once again, the move from pleasure to feeling it slowly drift away was more exhilarating than anything else.

“O-okay … I … guess … I like the feeling of … being … helpless …”

Maxine murmured and hummed thoughtfully.

Both of her hands now trailed along Victoria’s body, just touching all over and wherever they wanted to.

Along her neck, down her shoulders, about her breasts, twirling around her belly and waist and sides and –

Fuck.

“Like … knowing I can touch wherever I want … and you can’t stop it … ?”

Victoria gulped.

“Y-yeah …”

One of Maxine’s hands suddenly moved to pinch at one of Victoria’s nipples while the other shot down to viciously but righteously rub against her groin again.

“And I do mean … _wherever_ …”

 _Fuck_.

“F-fuck, M-maxine … y-y-yeah … oh, god …”

This might have, already, been the most anyone had gotten out of her as to what she desired in bed.

It helped that Maxine didn’t really put up with her attitude and seemed to intuit whenever Victoria was hiding something from her or being closed off.

Either way, it was impossibly compelling, and now knowing that Maxine knew this …

Ugh.

Once again, as quickly as Maxine’s hands started to pleasure her, they went back to just stroking along her body.

Victoria was going to fucking explode at this rate, but it was she wanted, anyway.

She just melted more into the bed and surrendered more of herself to Maxine’s will.

“What else?”

Victoria hesitated and thought about it for one second, two –

“I’ve … done enough … fucking _talking_ , I just ---”

Both of Maxine’s hands slapped at whatever random part of Victoria’s body they were over before quickly sliding to both nipples and not just pinching but twisting them for a few gloriously painful seconds.

Victoria unconsciously arched her back and focused on the exhilarating, if painful feelings and sensations.

“--- _attitude._ Sex is all about talking …”

Victoria frowned, but she felt herself giving in more to Maxine’s side of things after such a direct punishment.

That was weird, right?

Whatever.

“Maxine, please, just … f- _fuck_ me. You know e-enough … for tonight.”

Maxine sighed somewhat and shifted her posture so that she was laying on top of Victoria.

She started to take off some of her clothes until Victoria could feel the warmth of her skin in direct contact with Victoria’s own.

“Alright … just for tonight. But _other_ nights … you’re talking more, Vee.”

Victoria wasn’t sure if she was more excited at the idea of having sex with Maxine more regularly, or anxious at the idea of being obligated to share more about her fucked-up fetishes as a requirement of the former.

Why can’t Maxine just fuck her into the ground and not give a fuck about whatever the hell is going on in Victoria’s goddamn brain?

Whatever.

The thoughts trailed off as Maxine’s hands roamed her once more, only now there was even more of the presumably-naked body of Maxine in touch with her, and the thought continued to be impossibly arousing, even if goddamn it she didn’t need to bother with this at this point.

“I’ll … trade you.”

Victoria blinked.

“T-trade?”

Fuck did her voice come out so uneven and not-like her.

She had to breathe in harshly and clear her throat.

It was just hard to talk normally with the crush of her life touching her like this, while she was so aroused, with the – _everything_ –

“Yeah … you help get me in the mood by just talking about that one fantasy … and I’ll gag you again.”

Victoria hummed thoughtfully.

She wasn’t sure how much there was to elaborate, but …

She did fucking want to be gagged again and well and truly be helpless.

It seemed like a fair trade.

“A-alright, um …”

Fucking voice.

Victoria sucked in a harsh breath again and tried her best to steady it, though it still calm out in short, hushed breaths, as her breathing was so heavy at this point.

“O-originally … I thought about you … just coming in … and doing … _whatever it is_ you wanted … fucking me all night … teasing me all night … spanking me all night …”

Maxine made some approving humming noises in Victoria’s ear, delivering a bite to the other one finally.

To make this even harder, yet much more exciting for Victoria, Maxine began to gently stroke at her groin again.

Surely not enough to get her off or anything, just to have some fun.

Victoria groaned when she realized Maxine was doing, but she obviously wasn’t going to tell her to stop.

It definitely made it harder to concentrate though.

“… maybe not even … touching me at all … and just making me eat you out all night … or worship your feet … or … whatever …”

Victoria was so lost in her fantasy she forgot the foot thing was another Not Normal thing and it wasn’t a card she wanted to show quite yet.

Yet Maxine just continued to make her approving noises and touch her further, so Victoria just continued further.

“… the point is … what I wanted … doesn’t matter … because it’s exciting … to be … I don’t know … _used_. That in itself … makes me like it. I g-guess.”

It was weird coming out, since she had never bothered to vocalize it so directly.

Victoria only just now Maxine had tricked her into revealing more through this little trade of hers, and she didn’t … begrudge the manipulation, or anything.

Maybe that’s what this shit would take.

Maxine just ignoring when Victoria said she didn’t want to talk and finding ways to make her talk anyway.

Just like when she resisted about anything else …?

Fuck.

Maybe it was the fact Maxine’s fingers were fucking in her but she couldn’t help but sexualize this, and think that somehow Maxine how outsmarted her.

Especially when as that thought clicked, Maxine produced what Victoria could only call a gentle but thoroughly excited moan and moved both of her hands up to secure the gag back in Victoria’s mouth.

She readily accepted it, and fully surrendered her body.

 

With her body bound, she didn’t have to control it.

With her mouth gagged, she didn’t have to control it.

With her sight removed, she didn’t have to control it.

 

All she had to do was be a little pathetic fuck toy.

Something not even she could fuck up.

 

And it was glorious.

Her body was so ready for Maxine’s touch, for the way her fingers and unfortunately too-short nails moved along her body and knew just how to squeeze and slap and stroke.

It’s all she had to focus on.

She didn’t even have to keep her volume down or anything with the gag, so whenever Maxine’s teeth bit a bit much too forcefully, it didn’t really matter, since her louder-than-average groaning wouldn’t be salacious – it was properly contained.

Even the way her body wanted to squirm and gyrated was rather dampened with Maxine right on top of her, though it was something else to feel Maxine’s body rub up against her as Victoria made whatever insignificant movements she was still allowed.

And it was glorious.

 

At first.

 

Not her first, not her second, but maybe her third orgasm, when her body was starting to get really tired, things started to shift.

Victoria was satisfied, now, that Maxine knew how to talk to her body.

Even to her, really, to get it to behave.

To sing.

But …

This was a one-night stand, basically, wasn’t it?

Maxine probably wouldn’t even be here in the morning.

No matter how good the sex was, Victoria wasn’t some kind of Rachel, and she wasn’t even really contributing to the sex.

She was just laying there, like a fucking toy or something.

She was a pathetic, perverted freak, unable to even get off without some weird kinky element being overlaid.

Maxine deserved better.

And she probably knew it.

 

Victoria didn’t know when she started to sniffle and cry, but she hated herself for crying during this.

 

It wasn’t until her sniffling became gaudier and more bawling did Maxine realize – due to the blindfold and gag, predictably – but when she did Maxine’s body tensed up _immediately_ and she was quick to peel off both blindfold and gag to see Victoria crying.

 

And Victoria didn’t want her to see her crying, so her instinct was to shake her head to the side to hide her shame but –

Maxine was there, and she sighed _so_ wearily, and one of her hands forced Victoria’s face back up, and Victoria just sniffled.

She welded her eyes closed with the tears and Maxine hesitated for a second or two.

Finally, she maneuvered her body up a bit more and placed an affectionate kiss on Victoria’s forehead, then stroking at her cheeks and just looking down at her.

“Vee … you’re crying.”

Victoria sniffled.

“I g-got … something in my eyes. Is … all.”

Her voice strained by heavy breathing now had exhaustion and emotional exertion to beleaguer it further, and it came out fully unrecognizable to Victoria, so gentle and uncertain and not her.

It wasn’t intimidating or positive at all, and Maxine saw through it even more easily than her other voice.

“ _Victoria_.”

Maxine used Victoria’s full name so rarely she had to blink her eyes open and although her world was blurry she could see Maxine’s face drowning in quiet sympathies.

“C’mon … that wouldn’t even fool a middle schooler.”

Victoria sighed, and wanted to hug at herself, but of course her body was still bound.

Her eyes looked down to Maxine’s naked body – the first time she’d been allowed the sight in this sort of context – though the look wasn’t ogling, more of just distracted.

“I …”

Victoria bit her lip.

Could she dump her anxieties on Maxine?

Probably.

Not these, though.

Not relationship anxieties …

“I don’t know.”

Maxine sighed again and melted more on top of Victoria, slowly moving her mouth back to Victoria’s ear and gently kissing it again.

No bites.

“You do.”

Unlike earlier, this wasn’t assertive or forceful.

This came out gentle, and warm, and caring.

Victoria closed her eyes and groaned.

“Ugh … like … tomorrow you’ll be gone … tomorrow you’ll be with Rachel … tomorrow I’ll just be this … pathetic whore … only able to make a move on you … by surrendering myself.”

Maxine went quiet in consideration.

Her hands slowly tracked down to Victoria’s sides, to gently and affectionately stroke there.

Victoria did quite appreciate all the warmth, even if she wasn’t to vocalize it.

“If you want me to stay … I’ll stay, but … I thought this was just about the sex.”

Victoria went quiet herself and hesitated as much as Maxine had.

It would be hard to say this wasn’t about the sex?

This all only came about because Victoria was Not Normal and fantasized about being rawed by Maxine in increasingly compromising ways.

But this felt different from Taylor, at the same time …

“N-no … this _is_ about the sex. Just … sleep with me tonight. Don’t leave.”

This felt both wrong and right at the same time – contradictory and confusing.

She could have it all if she wanted, right?

Maxine to fuck her when she wanted, Taylor to fuck her when she wanted.

Taylor wasn’t a particularly high-upkeep partner, and she couldn’t imagine Maxine was either, particularly since she was with Rachel so often.

Maxine breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

“Oh thank _god_. Rachel would be … _ugh_. Nevermind that.”

Victoria couldn’t help but to have her heart fall a little bit at the ‘oh thank god’.

Maxine sounded _so_ relieved.

… of course she did.

Who would want to have a serious relationship with Victoria.

Certainly not Maxine.

Victoria sighed internally and just nodded.

“Yeah, of course, Rachel … now just … untie me.”

Maxine giggled and placed a kiss on Victoria’s ear.

“Ever try sleeping like this?”

Victoria blinked.

Her emotions were kinda shit right now, and her self-esteem kind of lowered, and she didn’t feel too sexy, but …

“N-no …”

She swallowed.

“Would you like that?”

Maxine sighed contently and placed another affectionate kiss on Victoria’s ear.

“What better than be helpless to me … all night?”

To emphasize, one of Maxine’s hands went to Victoria’s inner thighs and teased some more.

Victoria had to admit the idea was compelling.

She knew she’d be all kinds of sore in the morning, but …

“Only if you … touch me randomly … throughout the night.”

Maxine smirked.

“Deal.”

It was sort of weird how Maxine deflected Victoria spiraling too much.

She decided not to dwell on it too much, for now.

Instead, she just focused on the continual feeling of helplessness, now combined with the knowledge she’d be molested all night long …

With her exhaustion both emotional and physical it didn’t take her too long to drift off.

But she never had so erotic dreams as with a pretense as that.

 

\---

 

Chloe pulled up to the place and parked the truck with a small sigh.

Rachel giggled and almost immediately skipped out of the truck but –

Chloe turned and placed a hand on her shoulder.

She kept the key in the ignition for now.

“Rach …”

Rachel had still opened her door slightly, so the annoying ding ding of the truck was a backdrop as she looked back to Chloe.

“Yeah, Chloe?”

She smiled so warmly, so effusively.

In a few seconds, she was about to be in such a stress-relieving rager.

She could just put out the nonsense with Maxine out of her mind and just focus on –

“… why did you tell me you were straight, all of that time ago?”

Chloe looked so somber and she looked down to the seat between them, since Chloe’s truck had three-abreast seating.

Rachel hesitated.

That was a serious topic.

She kinda didn’t really want to, right now …

She groaned.

“ _C’mon_ , Chloe. Not now. Let’s just have some fun.”

Chloe just frowned, though, and Rachel knew this was Chloe in a _mood_.

Internal sigh.

“If not now, then when? Tomorrow you’re just going to go back to … I don’t know, fucking Max, and pretending like I don’t exist.”

Rachel huffed and crossed her arms.

“One _imagines_ I would be fucking my _girlfriend_ , yes.”

This came out more irritated than intended, since it felt an awful lot like Chloe was blaming things on her.

Not that Rachel was _entirely_ blameless.

Chloe groaned and raised a hand to rub firmly at the side of her face.

“… is this how it’s going to be? We were so … close, before her.”

Rachel hesitated.

A lot of the immediate frustration bled out of her, and she inched closer to Chloe.

After some more hesitation, she carefully placed a hand on Chloe’s shoulder, and Chloe jumped very slightly, but then just barely blushed and looked up to her.

Chloe’s always-too-excited reactions were always endearing … Rachel smiled a little bit.

“Listen, I … I didn’t want things to change between us.”

Chloe frowned, though, at this phrasing.

“Just like Max didn’t want things to change between us. Right.”

Fuck.

Maxine’s history with Chloe sometimes really complicated things – the poor girl was just left with so many abandonment issues.

It didn’t help that when she reunites with Maxine, she’s such a totally different person …

Rachel groaned and closed her eyes briefly.

“Chloe. C’mon. I didn’t leave you for years. That’s not fair.”

Chloe grunted and crossed her arms to lean back more forcefully against her seat.

She looked forward.

“No. You ‘only’ fucking made out with me, and led me on, and had sex with me, then told me you were straight … then went and found some other girl.”

While that characterization wasn’t incorrect, it wasn’t the full story, either, and somewhat misleading.

Rachel sighed gently.

“You’re forgetting all of the family drama and shit that went on in between those things …”

Chloe grunted.

“I don’t see the relevance.”

Rachel smiled, sadly, and kept rubbing at Chloe’s shoulder, since she still hadn’t rebuked it.

“Maybe that’s a sign of where we went wrong, then … you used to understand me so easily, Chloe.”

Chloe frowned more viscerally at this, then sighed wearily and looked over to Rachel again.

“What do you mean? Help me understand, Rachel …”

Her expression did soften somewhat at this, though.

Rachel bit her own lip.

If this were some years ago, before Maxine was in the picture, before they ‘broke up’, Rachel could have trusted literally anything to Chloe.

But things were so different, now.

They were different people.

“I can’t … _make_ you understand this stuff, Chloe.”

She looked forward herself, and gently brought her hands together in her own lap.

“Just … everything turned upside down in my life all at once … all of the freedom I thought I had … gone.”

Quiet.

It was kind of awkward.

Rachel looked over to Chloe.

“You know what I loved about being around you most, right?”

Chloe hesitated, bit her own lip, and sighed before nodding.

“Yeah … you told me before. When you’re around me … you used to get this feeling of like, limitless, boundless freedom … like we do anything, and challenge anyone.”

Rachel looked forward.

“And then you wanted to tether me down with a serious relationship and things just … things just changed, between us.”

Rachel thought to add ‘and it scared me’ but decided to bite that back.

Chloe thought about it for a few seconds and then uncrossed her arms.

“I didn’t want to tether you down …”

Rachel frowned at this, but Chloe’s voice sounded so genuine and affectionate, in a way she hadn’t heard in a while.

“No?”

Chloe nodded again.

“No. I knew you were always going to have other friends and junk. I didn’t want to keep you from that.”

Rachel frowned more deeply.

“Then why did you want the dedication?”

Chloe frowned herself, finally.

“Don’t _you_ get it?”

She scoffed,

“If we were always supposed to get each other, and crap.”

Rachel blinked and carefully looked back to Chloe.

“No …?”

Chloe sighed wearily, raised a hand up to rub at her face for a few seconds, then somewhat inelegantly inched closed and rested her head on Rachel’s shoulder in a way she hadn’t in years.

Rachel didn’t quite know how to take it, but rejection wasn’t anywhere on the list of possibilities.

“Can I hold your hand?”

Rachel shrugged.

Chloe carefully moved one of her hands down to Rachel’s own and took it between both hands to gently stroke it.

They both liked the affection, if nothing else.

“It’s not about … _controlling_ you, or whatever … it’s just about … being everything you need. For however long you need it. I don’t care if you needed other friends or junk but … for serious, romantic stuff, and sex … I should’ve been all you needed.”

Rachel sighed wearily, closing her eyes and considering.

“… and if you weren’t?”

Chloe frowned, but didn’t move from her position.

“Wasn’t I?”

Rachel considered for a few more seconds.

“You were, _then_ , but … everything was changing, and … I-don’t-know.”

She sighed.

“I didn’t want to … like … dedicate like that … only to find out it wasn’t enough … and hurt you for real.”

They both considered the words quietly for some time.

Eventually, Chloe spoke first, though both of their voices had gotten so fragile in the meantime.

“I could have learned … if you needed fancy dinner dates … fuck, if you needed a strap-on sometime --- whatever. Whatever your needs were … I could have learned.”

Something Rachel had been missing in the while she’d been dating Maxine was this feeling of tremendous comfort with her emotions.

She never felt too silly expressing herself around Chloe, and she never felt like she might get judged for them.

She didn’t have to plan out super convincing and complicated sentences to appease her, and if her mind was running slow and uncertain, Chloe worked with her through it.

It was … weird.

But she appreciated it.

She appreciated feeling comforted.

Wanton sex couldn’t really act as a replacement for that.

But.

She sighed.

“Well … I dunno, then. I just didn’t want to hurt you, Chloe … I felt like you wanted something more serious than I could ever provide.”

Chloe sighed.

“And how’s that working out with Max?”

Rachel frowned.

“We’re fine.”

Chloe frowned, too.

“Fine in that you’re running away with other strangers to avoid thinking about her not there for you.”

Fuck.

 _There_ was the Chloe she knew, who could just … understand her emotions, without her having to speak them, or anything.

It put weird thoughts in her mind about what Chloe and Maxine really meant to her.

Rachel shook her head.

“Maybe … maybe not. Doesn’t matter.”

Chloe blinked, and Rachel scooted out of the truck entirely, turning in one smooth motion to tug Chloe out of the truck with her.

When they were out of the truck though, Chloe grunted, tugged her hand free from Rachel’s, and crossed her arms.

It hurt Rachel in a way she wasn’t expecting to have Chloe refuse being tugged along to some adventure.

She sighed and crossed her arms, facing Chloe.

“Let’s just … talk about this later, okay?”

Chloe frowned.

Rachel then made what was probably a mistake, but seeing Chloe so hurt and moody …

She uncrossed her arms, took a few steps closer, stood up on her tippy toes, and kissed Chloe on the lips.

Gently.

Briefly.

Affectionately.

Chloe blushed and sort of uselessly uncrossed her arms but didn’t quite know where to place them – another little endearing thing – while Rachel placed her hands on Chloe’s shoulders and rubbed.

Eventually, Chloe got the idea to place her hands on Rachel’s sides, but there was clear and obvious deliberation going on in that hamster wheel of her brain.

“I mean it. And … I meant what I said about not wanting things to change between us.”

Chloe gaped her mouth and just simply didn’t know Rachel’s advance.

It was like they were sixteen again, and the world was so much simpler.

Rachel giggled, pulled away, turned around, took a step or two back to the side, and stole one of Chloe’s hands.

This time, when she walked forward, Chloe followed with her, side-by-side.

“Rachel …”

Rachel looked over to Chloe and just smiled.

Chloe smiled, too.

 

Perhaps this was a mistake.

But Rachel just couldn’t stand to see Chloe miserable.

She just couldn’t.

 

Off they went to the party, and off Rachel went, trying to forget about everything all at once.

She was comforted knowing she’d wake up next to someone who cared for her, at least, even if they had some difficult history to work through.

She didn’t know how to handle the fact she didn’t really feel all that guilty that that person wasn’t Maxine.

Perhaps this was a mistake.

But it didn’t feel like it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maxine is still with Victoria.
> 
> Chloe is still with Rachel.
> 
> Taylor has a shit conversation with Victoria.
> 
> Things are ... okay.

Victoria woke up with something of a gasp, but her immediate fright was soothed by some warmth nearby.

Maxine was still here …

Victoria still felt the bonds from last night on her and she couldn’t see anything with the blindfold on, and she was regretting slightly the decision to give into Maxine when she suggested they leave it on all night.

She was so fucking sore right now, jesus.

But …

Her dreams last night were something else.

She kind of flirted all night with being half-awake half-asleep as Maxine randomly groped her throughout the first half of the night, as promised. Active fantasies melded with the real events happening to her and the night was just all kinds of arousing.

And, relevant to her interests, arousing without being satisfying.

She was fucking pent up now, even though she literally just had hours of sex with Maxine, and that’s just how she liked it.

She readjusted her position – as much as she could – to feel what parts of her body were sore and how much, and well, pretty much everything was.

Her arms and legs most particularly, but there were some bite and scratch marks that she could feel on her body, too.

She groaned a little.

Thankfully, all of the movement woke up Maxine, who yawned.

Her weight moved around, as did her warmth, and Victoria imagined she had stretched a little.

Then, she could feel more of Maxine coming into contact with herself, like an arm placing itself over Victoria’s belly.

She felt those hands roaming her body again.

Fuck.

“Lookit you in all that stuff … it’s something else seeing it on you with daylight.”

Victoria shuddered some, but even if it was early, she had no plans of rebuking Maxine’s hands on her body, even though it was sending her thoughts further into the wrong directions.

Still, the way Maxine said this wasn’t as playful as she was normally – mostly more flirty and low and gentle, exhaled gently into Victoria’s ear while Maxine’s other hand played with some of Victoria’s too-short hair.

And she sounded into it?

Did Maxine like the sight of Victoria in bondage?

Victoria scoffed.

“Too bad you won’t get to see it too often.”

Maxine just hummed long and low and brought that hand down from Victoria’s belly to some of her inner-thighs to meaningfully rub quite forcefully and seductively.

Fuck.

Victoria bit her own lip, unable to resist imagining that hand going somewhere else.

“We’ll see about that. I have a feeling that’s not the last booty call you’re going to give me …”

Victoria sighed contently.

Maxine probably had a point.

It was weird to think about, though.

Did this basically mean she could sleep with Maxine whenever she wanted …?

Rachel probably had some kind of priority, right?

Rachel.

Ugh.

Though it was simply impossible to not be aroused with Maxine’s hands teasing her body like this, Victoria still found a way by randomly having the very unsexy thought of Rachel pop into her mind.

She frowned, a little.

“Assuming your little _girlfriend_ doesn’t just go and fucking take your phone away or something.”

Maxine chuckled gently and shook her head slightly, giving a kiss to Victoria’s ear.

“She understands. Don’t worry about her, Vee …”

“I ---”

Maxine knew more bullshit was coming, but she had all of the leverage in this conversation, anyway.

Her hand just went up a bit higher and Victoria shuddered again with more righteous contact to where she wanted it the most.

Victoria sort of stopped thinking about anything for a few seconds while Maxine’s hands did their magic, and it was at least an incredibly efficient way to get Victoria to stop thinking about Rachel, and just Maxine again.

Here she was.

The morning after.

Not leaving.

Just groping Victoria, because she wanted to.

And she had to have wanted this, right?

Victoria wasn’t guilting Maxine into this or anything.

Maxine just felt like she was free to touch Victoria’s body, and she wanted to, and so she did.

Fuck.

“Maxine …”

It sort of came out as an unintentional gentle moan, and she struggled with her restraints some.

Maxine made an inquisitive sound, then grinned.

“Hey …”

Victoria blinked.

Maxine’s upper hand moved to cup Victoria’s face and guide her to looking at Maxine’s own, even if Victoria was still blindfolded.

“W-what?”

Damn her voice.

Victoria tried to clear her throat and steady it but –

Maxine leaned a bit forward and forcefully kissed Victoria on the lips.

Combined with the efforts of her lower hand, it was quite well enough to get Victoria to stop thinking about anything other than Maxine, again, and relax this morning.

The worries about the bullshit with Rachel genuinely started to drift away into deeper recesses of her mind.

This kiss felt … romantic.

Or genuine.

It didn’t just feel like Maxine was doing it to distract Victoria or in some kind of primal lust, thing, there was affection being communicated here.

It ended more gently than it started, and Maxine kept Victoria’s face held tightly for a few seconds past the breaking of the kiss where all Victoria could do was feel her hands setting her body on fire and feel Maxine’s wonderfully calm breathing cascade down her face.

“You’re cute when you moan my name.”

Fuck, Maxine …

Both of her hands were suddenly away as Maxine shifted her weight again and presumably sat up.

“But we should probably get you out of that stuff. I’m sure it’s not designed to be worn all night …”

Victoria scoffed a little breathlessly, as she was allowed since Maxine was just fucking groping her a few seconds ago, but still.

“It’s not. But I had a fucking _novice_ \---”

Something was suddenly pinching one of Victoria’s nipples, both turning it around and pulling it slightly, and it silenced Victoria’s bitchy words with an immediate visceral groan and some shifting around to lessen the pressure.

“--- _Attitude._ ”

This, then, was probably what excited Victoria the most about Maxine.

Probably any girl she would date would be able to eat her out, or whatever, but how many of them could bother to try to tame her?

To respond appropriately to her spines, to see right through her when it was necessary?

Maxine was completely irresistible, now.

The groan petered off into a sort of moan, sort of breathy exhale as Maxine released Victoria’s nipple, took off her blindfold, and started to remove her restraints.

“I’ll learn. Don’t you worry about that. Then you’re _completely_ screwed.”

Right after being punished, Victoria felt weirdly docile to Maxine, and it was a feeling she cherished and wished people like Taylor knew how to tap into more.

When her first hand was freed, it came to affectionately, lovingly stroke at some part of Maxine’s arms, even though this was sort of inconvenient and slowed her down.

Victoria never looked away from her, either.

“Maybe I _want_ to be _completely screwed_ by you …”

Maxine had her cute little grin and scoff at this and just continued to remove the restraints.

When both of Victoria’s hands were free, they did briefly rub at her own wrists to try and soothe some of the skin irritated from wearing those cuffs for far too damn long, and she did stretch her arms out to crack them and stretch them out and relieve some of the ache, but surprisingly little of their time was spent recovering from the ache they were experiencing.

Since that kind of didn’t matter.

Instead, they were just on Maxine, feeling at her, touching her, trying to spread some affection and warmth.

It was unexpected enough that Maxine paused and just looked down at Victoria with a smile.

Victoria’s hands eventually found Maxine’s and they were quick to intertwine.

How badly so did Victoria want to hold Maxine’s hands like this more often …

She squeezed.

Maxine grinned and pushed Victoria’s hands back down to the bed.

She got back down on top of Victoria and leaned down to complete another kiss.

After it separated, she gently bit at the bottom of Victoria’s lip and tugged it away for a second or two.

“Maybe you don’t have a choice …”

_Fuck._

“After all …”

Maxine leaned down even further, whispering in that gloriously fucking hot way in Victoria’s ear again,

“… your legs are still bound. What’a’ya gonna do to stop me?”

Victoria blinked her eyes open, but only got a vision full of the ceiling due to Maxine’s position.

Maxine was getting dangerously close to another one of her most prominent fantasies …

Still, she probably obviously saw the way Victoria didn’t resist at all as her hands were pushed onto the bed and didn’t resist at all as she was kissed again.

So Victoria _did_ do a little resisting, now.

She practically growled and pushed against Maxine’s hands, though that just resulted in her pushing down with _a lot_ more force.

Sexily.

“You don’t have the _nerve_ to take what you want from me, you bitch.”

Maxine bit at Victoria’s ear and fuck Victoria just had to shudder and close her eyes uselessly for a few seconds, feeling the sensation of Maxine’s breathing and the pressure of her hands and the warmth of her body right on top of her like this and –

“I do. And you’re going to be a good little girl and moan my name in that cute way you did, earlier.”

Fuck.

Victoria more-or-less melted at this, not even bothering to resist as Maxine moved Victoria’s hands back up in the restraints and tied her back up.

The blindfold went back on, too.

But not the gag.

 

Maxine wanted to hear her sing, this time, and she got what she wanted.

 

When all was said and done, Maxine did eventually leave.

Victoria didn’t cry this time and she felt better about the sex.

Maxine wanted her.

Maybe not in a completely seriously romantic way, but … she still wanted her, somewhat.

It wasn’t as bad as Victoria had imagined it might end up.

Hell, Maxine even seemed to be into some of the stuff Victoria was.

Victoria idly wondered just how deep Maxine’s interests went, and how much Victoria might be able to ‘encourage’ them.

 

Her body did ache for a fucking while, though, and not even the hottest of morning-after showers helped to purge it.

All fucking night.

What was she _thinking_?

 

\---

 

What was she _thinking_?

When Rachel woke up in Chloe’s room, surrounded by Chloe’s arms, in Chloe’s bed, under Chloe’s blanket, in Chloe’s house, she briefly had a moment of freaking out.

Did they have sex?

She honestly couldn’t fucking remember.

They had a _lot_ to drink last night.

Last night …

Last night was so much fun.

But in as much as Rachel wanted to panic about things, she was also in Chloe’s room, surrounded by Chloe’s arms, in Chloe’s bed, under Chloe’s blanket, in Chloe’s house.

And that all was a place trained in Rachel’s mind over a course of years to be quite a familiar and relaxing place indeed.

So although she was worried her relationship with Chloe was suddenly a lot more fucking complicated – _again_ – she just sort of melted and relaxed.

It was hard _not_ to enjoy Chloe’s affections.

Her comfort and warmth.

Rachel sighed a little contently, and although her sounds and movements were slight, Chloe was so physically intertwined with her they still awoke her.

Chloe had her little lazy morning mummering.

Like a cat, she then yawned a bit too loudly and released Rachel to arch her back and stretch out her arms high above her heard.

Then, the slow descent of her arms and re-embrace of Chloe’s affection.

It was all so very, very familiar, Rachel could replay it in her mind without even thinking about it.

But there were parts that were unfamiliar, and different.

This routine should have ended with Chloe smiling cutely and dopily with her eyes sort of half-lidded while she just stared at Rachel for a few seconds, then leaned forward for a gentle but affectionate kiss.

Also, they should be naked.

Chloe didn’t, though, and they had still had underwear on.

Instead, Chloe actually removed her arms again, seemingly realizing she was working off of ingrained patterns and not what respectful and right to do and crossed her arms.

She was still quite close to Rachel, though.

She looked down her body, but the look didn’t feel ogling.

Rachel watched Chloe go through what was probably a similar internal struggle to what she just went through – wondering if they fucked, realizing how familiar this all was, yet how different it was at the same time.

Rachel just sort of understood what was going through that hamster wheel of a brain, sometimes.

She finally looked over to Chloe, now that some minutes of quiet intimacy had passed but they had a conversation they needed to have.

Rachel purposefully avoided most of it last night since it was kind of a mood-killer.

But now … whatever. Fuck it.

Rachel turned on her side to face Chloe and crossed her own arms.

She looked down Chloe’s body too, appreciating old familiar details and new interesting ones.

“So …”

Chloe sighed.

“… yeah.”

Their voices were so gentle.

This was actually somewhat awkward, and Rachel hated that, since time should never be awkward around Chloe.

So she broke her arms away to gently touch Chloe’s own, not in any particular pattern, just … being intimate.

“Last night … I meant everything, Chloe.”

Chloe hesitated, but groaned and looked upwards with her eyes closed.

She happily accepted Rachel’s gentle affections, though.

“You have a girlfriend, Rach.”

Rachel frowned, a little.

“I know. But … Maxine will understand.”

Chloe had a little bit of grumbling before she looked back down.

She really couldn’t resist the affection from Rachel any further and her posture melted somewhat, and they folded together in familiar ways with familiar patterns and familiar embraces.

“I mean … probably, fuck, who even knows what’s going on with her these days. But … me, Rach. _Us_. I don’t …”

Despite their intertwined bodies and familiar embraces, they both shared something of a frown.

Chloe shook her head gently, since she really just didn’t have the room to move her head much.

“I … don’t want you seeing other people if you’re with me.”

Rachel frowned a bit more, and of course knew this was probably coming.

Chloe was _so_ possessive.

It was cute and a little comforting, back then …

“Why not? Don’t you want me to be happy?”

Chloe frowned a bit more, too.

“Don’t you want _me_ to be happy?”

Rachel blinked.

“Chloe … of course I do. But can’t you see? She makes me happy. You make me happy. I can make you both happy. Let’s not … _over-complicate_ this, with dumb rules about what a relationship should and shouldn’t look like.”

Chloe sighed gently, and both of their eyes went away from each other, both considering.

“I – I don’t know, Rachel. This is a lot to ask for.”

Rachel’s eyes went back to Chloe, and she smiled, bringing one of her hands up to gently stroke at Chloe’s cheek.

Chloe leaned into it and closed her eyes.

“How ‘bout I sweeten the deal, Chloe? Ever had a threesome?”

Chloe had this little endeared chuckle and brought one of her own hands up to cup and caress the hand on her cheek.

“Not exactly my idea of fun.”

This was actually a little surprising to Rachel.

Who didn’t like threesomes?

“You’re kidding.”

Chloe chuckled again and brought Rachel’s hand forward to kiss it.

She was quiet for a few seconds after that, just patting the hand and giving it idle affection.

She opened her eyes.

“I would _never_ kid with you, Rachel.”

Rachel rolled her eyes and Chloe got her stupid grin.

Their hands went down to resume idle stroking and feeling along their bodies.

“I’m just … a one-woman kind of gal, I guess.”

Rachel did sigh a bit wearily, but maybe it was too much to expect Chloe to just agree to all of this out of the gate.

Maybe she needed more exposure to the idea.

Maybe she needed to spend more quality time with Maxine.

They would get along so well if Chloe just got over how different she was from her childhood.

And then … things would be so awesome.

Maxine and Chloe and her, all together …

That was worth fighting for.

It was a dream worth realizing.

“That’s a shame. Well. I suppose so long as you can tolerate me still seeing her you two don’t need to, like, fuck or anything.”

Even if incrementally.

Chloe groaned and looked off into the distance.

“I mean … I can try.”

Rachel leaned forward just that tiny bit of distance for a kiss.

It was calm, slow, and gentle.

When they broke away, they just looked into each other’s eyes for a few seconds, not saying or doing much of anything.

Then, Rachel got a little smirk.

“You always could, for me.”

Chloe groaned.

“Don’t remind me.”

But they both smiled, too.

 

Things weren’t perfect with either Maxine or Chloe.

But Rachel had a plan for how everything could end up as such.

She just had to try a little bit harder to make it a reality.

She knew she could do it if she set her mind to it.

 

\---

 

What was she _thinking_?

This was so stupid.

This was _absolutely_ going to backfire tremendously horribly in Taylor’s face.

She stood outside Victoria’s door with her head hung and arms crossed and her features heavy and she just sighed.

Fuck.

Feelings talk with Victoria.

Victoria is not going to take this well.

It’s going to jeopardize everything, and possibly cause her to lose a friend.

But …

Steph was kind of right.

This just wasn’t fair on Victoria to not tell her and to keep getting more attached.

If Victoria was a mature adult then –

Taylor couldn’t even finish the thought without rolling her eyes out of her sockets.

No, this was going to suck, but she had to do it.

There was a negligible chance this doesn’t end up sideways, anyway.

Whatever.

Taylor shook her head, tried to think positively and clear out all of that negative stuff with Steph’s sage advice, and knocked on Victoria’s door.

 

“It’s open.”

 

Taylor opened Victoria’s door to find her doing some homework on her computer chair.

She contently walked over to Victoria’s bed and sat her ass down on it.

Victoria hardly even acknowledged her presence, but that was usual.

A lot of the times, Taylor would just sort of … be here, for idle gossip and chit chat, while they each did homework or whatever.

But Taylor had some topics to talk about, this time.

And that horribly shit topic was going to come up, but first …

“Soooooooo. You and Maxine.”

Victoria closed her eyes, sighed dreamily, and pushed her computer chair back a bit.

She did a gesture Taylor recognized the significance of immediately by rubbing at her wrists gently – Victoria was fantasizing however briefly about being in bondage, again.

Taylor eyed some impressions from the gear still on Victoria’s skin with a little personal frown.

Those shouldn’t have left marks for this long – it was the next night.

How long did she keep them on …?

“You already know the basics.”

Taylor nodded.

Of course, Victoria _immediately_ texted her to talk about this crap.

“So tell me the juicy stuff, then.”

Victoria did this sort of distant amused scoff that was unfamiliar to Taylor and gently shook her head.

“She … fucked my brains out. I don’t think you need lurid details.”

Taylor grinned.

“You don’t think _I_ need _lurid details_? Um, who are you, and what have you done with Victoria Chase?”

There was that amused scoff again and Victoria actually smiled a little gently.

Since those were rare, Taylor was fine-tuned to pick up on them and recognize the context that triggered it.

“I’ve been feeling weird all day. I don’t know.”

Victoria sighed happily and finally looked to Taylor.

The smile went away but her posture was all relaxed and content.

“She’s _really_ good with her mouth.”

Taylor couldn’t help her massive grin.

“Really.”

Victoria nodded and looked down to herself.

She was wearing just a sort of hang-out-before-bedtime attire, but since this was Victoria, it was some elegant embroidered silk robe thing.

She gestured briefly to her belly.

“I got this fucking … _bite mark_ on my midriff. It looks kinda awful but damn was it fun.”

Taylor made an appreciative and curious humming noise.

“No crop tops for Vicky.”

Victoria scoffed and sputtered a simple and brief laugh.

“Oh, _whatever_. I don’t care.”

Taylor was paying more attention to all of Victoria’s body language during this exchange more than her words, since those were usually more important.

And this Victoria seemed so chill and content.

Was this a consequence of Maxine?

Or just Victoria being happy about … getting laid, apparently, by a crush.

It was interesting enough to her to finally motivate her to take the plunge on this awful topic of conversation.

Sort of.

“Did you set more anything up? Like dates?”

Victoria hesitated – more like fucking froze.

She groaned.

“Kind of?”

Taylor blinked.

“How do you kind of have a date?”

Victoria shrugged.

“She basically confirmed we’re going to be fucking more often.”

Taylor almost sighed.

Victoria conflating those two things only further added to her worry about The Talk.

“What about Rachel?”

Victoria shrugged, again, and hesitated for another few seconds.

“Maxine said not to worry. I’m trusting her on that.”

It was Taylor’s turn to laugh.

“ _You_ , not worrying about _Rachel_? You think I buy that, bitch?”

Victoria got a bit more defensive in her body posture, crossing her arms for the first time in this conversation and rolling her eyes.

“Oh, fuck off. You want lurid details? How about this: I don’t have to think about that disgusting two-faced bitch for _one_ _second_ when her girlfriend’s fingers are in me. It’s _amazing_.”

Taylor sort of rolled her eyes but had to admit that probably would be pretty distracting from jealousy.

Victoria shook her head again and looked back to her homework.

“And it’s like you said. They’re not super serious. She fucks around.”

Taylor hummed thoughtfully.

“And like _you_ said … you _don’t_ want to fuck around.”

Victoria groaned painfully, crossed her arms a bit more tightly, closed her eyes, and looked off to her ceiling pointlessly for a few seconds.

“ _Taylor_.”

Taylor shrugged even though Victoria couldn’t see it and allowed her the time to recover from this and eventually look back down to her.

“You know what I meant by that, right? Right?”

Taylor sighed.

This was, basically, the best possible chance to bring this up.

To have The Talk.

She stood up to signify something had changed in the conversation and crossed her own arms.

“Maybe I do. Maybe I don’t just wanna fuck around with you. Maybe I want to take you to some nice restaurant and we just … enjoy things.”

Even with Steph’s advice, Taylor couldn’t quite phrase it as simply as she had.

Victoria blinked a few dozen times and the silence was precisely as awkward and potentially friendship-shattering as she had worried about, but at least Victoria was clearly processing and not just out-right rejecting her.

“You … want a dinner date.”

Taylor nodded.

Victoria hummed flatly, and Taylor considered backing down, or playing it off as a joke, or starting a long explanation as to _why_ , but she tried to trust Steph’s advice.

_Don’t get caught endlessly explaining things. Just tell her simply what you want._

After some more uncomfortable silence, Victoria looked down to the floor.

“Why.”

Taylor flinched since Victoria couldn’t see it.

Not exactly an encouraging answer.

And there was just this … death in her voice.

Like she didn’t know the answer herself.

And, once again, Taylor was tempted to her usual games and deflections and plausible deniability that was so common around Victoria in particular and the Vortex Club in general, but, she kept trusting that Steph knew what she was talking about.

So, instead, simply,

“Because I like you, dummy, and I like you even better when you’re not doing weird sex games to try and make me a control freak.”

Victoria sighed and her body posture was not at all encouraging – she sort of melted into her chair, slumped, and brought one of her hands up to rub at her nose bridge and eyebrows.

“You think you’d enjoy that.”

It wasn’t really a question, somehow, just Victoria being all weird again with her unusually low and quiet voice.

Taylor nodded.

“I know I would. It’d be nice.”

Victoria went quiet again and the quiet was weighing down pretty heavily on Taylor, but she couldn’t really back down now even if she wanted to.

Even if she tried to play this off as a joke, Victoria’s super-sober response so far indicated that she probably wouldn’t handle that too well.

So Taylor just had to sit through this awful chunk of time where Victoria simply didn’t know what to say.

But, eventually, Victoria sat upright in her seat again, changing her posture so that one arm was across her belly supporting her other arm which sat upright and placed a hand just below her chin, but her hand was all loose and flowing instead of tight and stroking somewhere or something.

Then, the upright hand came down with a gentle slap to her other arm.

“Alright.”

The word punctuated the noise.

Taylor blinked.

“Alright?”

Victoria nodded.

“I … can do a dinner date. I had no idea you …”

She sort of trailed off, though, and looked off to one of her walls.

Taylor dumbly followed her eyes before they both looked back to each other.

“… y’know.”

Taylor sighed and uncrossed her arms.

“I know. I wasn’t sure. But … I am now. And you deserve to know that. So.”

Victoria had her gentle scoffing sound again and closed her eyes.

The words were superficially ridiculous, but Victoria clearly was considering them a bit in her lack of response.

Maybe she’d find as much value in them as Taylor did.

“If you say so …”

Taylor, briefly, wondered about what Maxine meant to Victoria, and if that whole relationship might torpedo any chance she had with Victoria.

But Taylor mostly just wanted Victoria to be happy, and she thought she might be able to do that.

If Maxine made her happy instead, well … Victoria was still being made happy.

Maybe they both could, or maybe things wouldn’t remain that serious.

Taylor really just didn’t know where things would go, from here, but most directions looked like a better outlook than a few days ago.

She also owed Steph like, a million bucks now for somehow giving her the advice that secured a date with Victoria Chase, of all people.

Victoria suddenly breathed in and looked up.

“It’s going to be fancy and French, though.”

Taylor smiled.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Victoria had her amused scoff and turned to face her desk again, but.

She was smiling, gently.

Taylor always paid attention to when Victoria smiled.

 

Taylor left eventually after some slightly more comfortable conversation and casual planning, and Victoria was still smiling a little as she did.

Girls, girls, girls.

A bundle of problems to deal with with Maxine, and now Taylor showing more interest …

What a mess.

But first Maxine wants to fuck Victoria honestly, even after knowing about her weird sex stuff, and now Taylor wants an honest-to-god fancy French dinner date …

Everyone was suddenly acting like they _liked_ Victoria and _wanted_ her.

Like she wasn’t just some heartless bitch or something, and people enjoyed her company.

It was a weird thought, but a nice one.

 

It was a day or two later when Victoria got an even _weirder_ thought.

What if she talked to Maxine like Taylor talked to her?

Just sort of … put it out there.

Maxine seemed so relieved when Victoria said it was only about the sex, though, and indicated that was probably because of Rachel.

Ugh.

No.

Victoria couldn’t quite do that with Rachel in the picture.

But … maybe she could do something about that.

Victoria smirked.

She pulled out her phone and texted Chloe, of all people.

_hey. asshole. i need a favor_

She didn’t expect this approach to work very well, but this was also the thread of influence she cared the least about.

She switched to her thread with Maxine.

_heyyyy ;) do u know what happened w chloe and rachel xoxoxoxo_

And finally, to one of those stoner idiot skaters – Trevor, Travis, Trent – some name like that –

 _if u can do something for me i can get u all the dumb pot in the fucking world_  

This had the horrible, horrible, awful chance of completely backfiring and exploding in Victoria’s face.

But maybe, just maybe, it wouldn’t.

Anyone who knew _anything_ about Chloe knew how goo-goo ga-ga she was for Rachel – not that crushing on Rachel was at all unique to Chloe.

And while Rachel could just fall in a hole in the earth and never climb out for as far as Victoria was concerned, that was somewhat unideal if Maxine was close to her.

But if she somehow schemed Chloe into dating Rachel, then Chloe would obviously try to make that serious, which would then make Rachel choose, and a casual thing with Maxine would be less ideal, and then Maxine would be free, and then Victoria could make her move, and because Maxine liked having sex with her she would agree to a date and, and –

Wow.

This was more convoluted than she thought when she was thinking through the individual pieces.

… maybe she could just like, tell Maxine what she wanted, and let her figure out the stuff with Rachel, like how upfront Taylor was.

Victoria sighed.

No.

Not after Maxine was so relieved about this being only about the sex.

Laying all that out there would just upset her and make her feel lied to or something, or maybe even weird her out.

Did Maxine even _go_ on dates?

Victoria certainly didn’t remember any.

Fuck she was so screwed.

Whatever.

This was better than nothing.

And there was that thing coming up with Taylor, too.

That could be … nice.

While the scheming about Rachel was cooking and waiting for the coconspirators to engage, Victoria planned her outfit for the date with Taylor.

She was going to invite Maxine over for some more fun soon, too, and had to figure out what kinks specifically she was going to bring up and how.

In the meantime, sex with Taylor was plenty satisfying and Victoria didn’t need her to be as dommy as she wanted since she could flirt with Maxine over text.

And Maxine fucking knew how to flirt.

Everything was just fitting together well.

Like this all had a shot of working.

 

Victoria smiled more often, these days.


End file.
